Angels or Demons
by RyansDreamMaker
Summary: Life and death can be tricky. The line between worlds can blur in ways that make a person go crazy. And crazy is exactly where Charlie thinks she's headed.
1. Chapter 1

The war with the Patriots has been waging consistently for nearly a year. Every time they take out another re-education camp, another pops up to replace it. Even without President Davis, the Patriots won't let up. Miles and Monroe have been working around the clock trying to finally end it.

Charlie has found herself in the midst of battles with the boys on either side of her many times. Screams and gunshots echoing all around them, the metallic scent of blood filling the air, dirt and sweat covering her skin. When the fighting is all said and done, and the body count has been reported, they drag themselves back to their tents and try not to drown under the weight of it. Miles pours himself a glass and distracts himself with Rachel while Monroe just drinks the whole damn bottle. Charlie sucks down more whiskey than such a small person should be able to handle and passes out on her cot only to be shaken awake by a hungover Monroe so they can do it all over again in the morning.

The work is good for them. It keeps them moving forward and away from the monsters at the edge of their minds, but Charlie fears that their escape won't last forever. Soon, one of them - or maybe all three - will succumb to the nagging voices inside their heads and the paradise that they offer.

* * *

There are so many of them. The Patriots outnumber their forces eight to one. They need to retreat or risk losing more men.

"Fall back!" Miles shouts, his voice barely audible over the gunshots and clashing of swords. "Get back to the rendezvous!"

The Texas Rangers scatter like roaches, disappearing from the battlefield before Charlie even has time to register that it's time to go. Apparently she isn't the only running behind though, she can see Monroe near the tree line facing off with three brainwashed Patriots. There's no time to look for Miles and get some help so she runs straight in, slashing one of their throats as Monroe guts another. The last one standing takes a hit from Charlie across his abdomen but Monroe finishes him off with a sword in his back. The dead Patriot drops between them and they stare a one another.

"Thanks," Monroe says gruffly.

Charlie shrugs noncommittally as another group of re-educated soldiers approaches. "We need to get out of here," Charlie says, looking around at the few Rangers that haven't evacuated the area yet.

Monroe grits his teeth and takes a defensive stance. "Yeah, I'm working on it."

They work remarkably well together. Back to back, slashing and ducking, stabbing and dodging. They can't afford to stop, there are too many Patriots around for them to make a clean escape and being captured is not an option. It's kill or be killed.

Charlie knocks a rifle out of someone's hand and slashes their throat before turning to the next guy, only to find that there is no next guy. They're all down. She turns around to look at Monroe. His shirt is torn and there's blood dripping from his nose and shoulder, but he is alive. Remarkably, they both are.

He wipes the blood from his upper lip with the sleeve of his black, leather jacket and smirks at her. "Guess we didn't need Miles after all."

Charlie sucks in a deep breath, her heart is still hammering but she manages a smile. "Guess not."

He smiles back, but it slowly sinks to a frown as his eyes train on her stomach. "Charlie..." He approaches slowly and presses his hand against her side. She follows his hand with her eyes, seeing but not quite registering that the dark red stuff soaking her tank top is blood. "Come on, we need to go," he says urgently, but Charlie suddenly has the strong desire to stay and take a nap.

"No, I'm fine," she protests numbly.

But he ignores her and strips off his jacket, then pulls off his dingy, old v-neck so he can wrap it around her waist. "OK, we need to go, but we gotta go slow. Just lean on me-"

 _ **BANG!**_

Monroe jerks backward and falls to the ground as the bullet tears through his chest. Charlie turns in the direction the shot came from, finding a Patriot soldier laying half dead on the ground with a rifle in his hand. On instinct, she grabs the nearest knife and hurls it at the shooter, embedding it deep in his chest.

The adrenaline rush from the earlier battle has worn off and now she's running on fumes. The wound in her side is starting to hurt and she feels light headed.

"Monroe," she starts, as if she's forgotten that he was just shot right in front of her, but then she sees him laying on the ground, his bare chest covered in blood. Charlie drops to her knees next to him and puts her hands out to help, though they merely hover over the gaping hole oozing blood from his chest. There's nothing she can do for this, and they both know it.

"Charlie," he chokes out. He grabs her wrist but his arm goes slack and their clasped hands fall just above his wound. Their eyes meet and something deep in Charlie's chest suddenly starts to burn.

"It's gonna be OK," she says out of nowhere. But Monroe is still alive enough to know better.

"Tell Miles I said, I'm sorry."

Charlie shakes her head, hating the traitorous tears brimming in her eyes, but unable to stop them. "No, you can tell him yourself."

"Charlie..." He lays there for a moment, his eyes locked on hers and his body twitching with pain. "I'm sorry. I-I didn't want this."

"No, just... just stop apologizing. Everything's gonna be fine. You're gonna be fine."

"Charlie..." And his eyes soften. Not a lot, but just enough that she can feel him looking at her the way only he ever has. That connection that she's been trying to ignore all this time isn't something that just goes away. It hits her as she stares into his deep, blue eyes. He's trying to say goodbye.

"No. You don't get to die," she says thickly.

He reaches up with a bloodied hand and strokes her cheek. Just the gentlest touch against her skin that drags a sob from her chest. "It'll be OK," he says weakly, cradling her cheek in his hand.

Charlie leans into his touch and whispers, "Please don't leave me."

His eyes are fading now as the life drains from his body, but he manages to beckon her closer. "Then come with me," he rasps out.

Her body shakes as another sob tears through her, but she nods and leans in close, pressing her lips against his. He tastes like blood.

"OK," she whispers, but he's already gone.

Sebastian Monroe, a man that she once tried to kill herself, is finally dead. It doesn't feel at all like she had imagined it would. There is no justice, no relief in his death. Only more pain at the loss of someone else she loved.

Charlie slumps down and lays across his bloodied chest, uncaring of the noise she's making as she sobs uncontrollably. The one person that alway came back for her, the only one that seemed to truly understand, is gone. So many people have died. The people she loved and the people she killed. For months now the only thing keeping her upright was Monroe's silent, but unwavering, support. She's not sure that she can do this without him.

The wound in her side continues to bleed and she passes out draped over his chest.

* * *

Hours pass. Or maybe it's minutes, or days. Possibly only seconds have gone by when Charlie wakes. Her eyes don't open right away, but she can hear the world around her. The sound of water splashing rhythmically against something and another noise, crowing like a rooster - only it's no rooster she's ever heard before. The air around her feels think and humid. She can taste the tang of something salty on her tongue.

Charlie opens her eyes but the bright sun above her forces them closed again. She sits up and now she can feel the ground beneath her. Not dirt, but something looser and drier. She open her eyes slowly this time, taken aback by the scene before her. A vast ocean, like the ones from her postcards, is laid out before her. The rooster noises are coming from the white birds, not actual roosters of course, flying over the water. It's the most beautiful thing she's ever seen.

So caught up in the beauty before her, Charlie doesn't notice the young man approach from behind.

"It's perfect, isn't it?" He asks, and Charlie almost literally jumps out of her skin at the sound. The rasp with just a hint of a squeak. She knows that voice.

" _Danny?"_ He merely grins that crooked grin and sticks his arms out for a hug. Charlie's to in shock at the sight of her dead baby brother to react. He looks perfectly healthy and whole. Too long, blonde hair hanging over his light brown eyes and every freckle perfectly in place.

"Danny..." The name catches in her throat this time as she stares up at him, stunned and a little afraid by his sudden appearance. But he leans down slowly and gently touches her hand.

"It's alright, Charlie."

The sound of her name from his mouth just confirms it even more in her head. Regardless of what may or may not be possible, Danny is right in front of her. She launches to her feet and throws her arms around his neck, hugging him so tightly that it hurts. He holds her close for as long as she likes, all the while gently petting her hair like their dad had done when they were young and upset.

Charlie eventually let's go of him, but she stays close and simply stares. "How..." She finally takes notice of their strange surroundings again, glancing around at the beach and nudging a large seashell with her toe. "What is going on?"

But Danny merely smiles and holds out his hand for her to take. "Come on, they're waiting for you."

"Who?" But he doesn't answer. Danny leads her away from the water and up a steep embankment. Just over the crest, the sand beneath their bare feet turns to soft, green grass. A meadow is laid out before them filled with perfect, white daisies. Charlie is so struck by the beauty, and the strangeness, of it that she doesn't notice the others until Danny points them out to her.

"Look over there." He points off to the left and at first she doesn't understand, but then she sees a head of bright, blonde hair poke up above the grass.

"Who is that?" She asks, looking from the blonde hair to her brother.

But he merely smiles and says, "go find out."

Charlie starts forward towards the stranger without a thought, but stops when she realizes that Danny isn't following. "Aren't you coming?" She turns to ask, but he's gone. "Danny?" She calls out, her voice floating through the field of flowers so strongly that she stops to listen.

"Hello," a small voice says from behind her, making Charlie jump. She turns to find that the bright, blonde hair is attached to a little girl. She looks to be about three or four and has deep, blue eyes like the ocean.

"Hi," she replies weakly. As she looks down at the strange, little girl she can't help but feel that they've met before. "Do I know you?"

But the girl merely smiles and holds out her hand. "Come on, we've been waiting for you."

Charlie starts to ask who might be waiting for her, but stops herself at the last second and silently takes her hand. The little girl leads her across the meadow with sure steps, and it's only now that Charlie notices her clothing drifting with the wind. It's a pure white dress made of soft cotton that's draped over her body and skimming down to her toes. The little girl is dressed in similar fabric, both of their dresses flapping in the wind. Charlie tries to think of what Danny had been wearing but finds that she can't remember.

"What is this place?" She asks the little girl as they near the top of a small incline, but her question is forgotten as the rest of the meadow comes into view. It goes on for miles and miles around, the slope in front of them leads down to a small pond filled with water lilies. Even more intriguing, is the man chasing two small boys around it.

The little girl beside her squeals in delight and rushes down to join them, getting scooped up by the man the moment she crosses his path. Giggling and laughter fills the air around her, though all Charlie can do is stare. She watches the man lift the smaller boy and toss him in the air with disbelief.

"Monroe?" She breathes. Not nearly loud enough for him to hear, but somehow he does. His eyes meet hers and Charlie finds herself lost in a sea of ocean blue. There's more emotion in just that one look than she's ever seen the man express. It makes her heart beat happily in her chest, though she steps back as the happiness is clouded by uncertainty.

She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath as she pictures his body before her, blood oozing from his chest and gasping for air. Sebastian Monroe is dead, she saw it happen.

 _Then how is he here?_

Charlie opens her eyes and sucks in a sharp breath.

"Hey." It's such a simple thing to say. So normal for him to greet her this way, but it tears painfully at her heart like a knife.

"You died," she says weakly.

He nods. "Yes. I did." He smiles softly and reaches for her hand, squeezing gently.

"So now... I'm dead, too." She says slowly.

Monroe's lips pull in a tight line and he shakes his head. "Not necessarily."

"Then why am I here?" She looks around at the foreign meadow and the strange children. "Where exactly is here, anyway? And who are they?" Pointing to the children, she gives Monroe an expectant look. But he just sighs and shakes his head.

"I'm not sure of anything, exactly, but I think that they are supposed to be our children."

" _Children?"_

"Well, I think they would have been our kids... You know, if I hadn't died." He gives her a long look, his eyes taking in every feature of her face.

"She looks like you. The girl, I mean."

They both look over at the children playing by the pond again and Charlie decides that Monroe must be right. The oldest boy has his wild curls, but Miles' deep brown eyes. The littler one has dark brown hair that hangs in loose curls like Conner's but clearly has Rachel's pale, blue eyes. The girl has Rachel's bright, blonde hair but the gentle waves are all Charlie. The three children are clearly a collection of the Matheson/Monroe traits.

"They're perfect," Charlie whispers.

Monroe squeezes her hand again. "I know. That's why I hate it. I'm here because I died, and they're here because now they'll never get to exist."

A single tear escapes down her cheek but he quickly brushes it away with his thumb. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

Shaking her head, Charlie gives him a watery smile. "It's OK. We're all here now, that's all that matters."

He sighs sadly and looks away, making panic flood her heart.

"What, what's wrong?"

Their eyes meet again, and this time all she can see is sadness. "Come with me." He takes her hand in his rough, calloused one and leads her away from the pond and the children, back towards the field of daisies.

Charlie looks up at him as they walk, clad in a white cotton shirt and matching shorts. He seems, not necessarily happy, but calmer here, like he's finally at peace. But there's also a grim way about him, like he's dreading something to come.

She stops walking and pulls him around to face her. "Just tell me what's wrong, Bass."

A small smile breaks out at her use of his nickname, but it quickly tilts back into a frown as he reaches out to touch her cheek. "I'm a selfish man, Charlie."

Leaning into his touch, she presses her palms to his chest, feeling his warmth beneath her hands. "So? What does that have to do with anything?"

He opens his mouth to say something but changes his mind at the last second. "Nothing. I just... I wanted to make sure you knew."

Charlie chuckles and stands up on her tip toes, her lips hovering just an inch from his. "It doesn't really matter now, does it?"

He smiles like a child that's just received the best gift ever and kisses her. It's sweet and gentle, their lips moving slowly as they get to know each other. His hands tangle in her in long hair and he tilts her head back as his tongue slips tentatively between her lush lips, earning a soft moan from her. Then the kiss changes entirely. Lips bruising, teeth clashing, hands grabbing at every inch of flesh. Every argument, every sarcastic quip, every lingering glance is funneled into it, spreading passion and heat like wildfire.

Charlie eases her hands beneath his shirt, feeling his muscles ripple deliciously under her fingertips. He yanks the white cotton over his head and stands bare chested and whole before her. Her fingers ghost over the spot where the bullet tore through him, finding nothing but warm, healthy flesh. Bass places his hand over hers, pressing it directly over his beating heart.

Another tear rolls down Charlie's cheek. "I love you," she whispers.

He takes her face in his hands and wipes it away. "I love you, too."

They return to the gentle exploration of each other, their tongues delving deep and their hearts beating in time with each other. The smooth cotton of her dress skims down her body and falls to the grass. Bass lowers her down onto a soft, fluffy blanket that's white as snow and tosses his white shorts into the pile with his shirt and her dress.

The heat between them is almost too much and Charlie is so aroused that she thinks she might burst. She's never wanted any man like this before. She needs him, needs to feel him around her and inside of her all at once. Their eyes meet and it's like he understands without any words necessary. He slides into her slowly, inch by inch sinking into her velvety depths. They move together slowly, their bodies intertwined, making them both feel complete for the first time ever.

Charlie wraps her legs around his waist as he moves, letting him sink deeper inside of her with every thrust. Their eyes lock as they continue to move in time with each other, a rhythm both entirely new but familiar to the two lost souls. The world shatters in a sea of kisses and breathless praises, leaving them both sweaty and sated in a heap on their fluffy blanket.

Sleep comes quickly, or maybe it isn't sleep at all but merely a break in time where they can be still for just a little while. When Charlie wakes, she finds Bass sitting at the edge of their blanket staring off into the distance. The look in his eyes is that of one in mourning, like he's lost someone recently.

And then it hits her.

"This isn't real. I'm not really here, am I."

He shakes his head with a sigh and stands. "I need to show you something."

Slipping her dress back over her head, Charlie let's him lead her back across the field of daisies towards the beach. The moment her feet hit the sand, the air becomes humid again and tastes of salt. Bass leads her right up to the water's edge so the waves trickle over their toes.

"What-"

"Look." He points into the water just in front of them and at first she thinks he's lost his mind because all she can see is water, but as she stares the water changes. Distorts in a haze of colors like smoke. It rearranges itself to form a picture. But not just any picture, there are people in it, and they're moving.

It's not just anyone either. As she looks into the water window, Charlie sees her grandfather hovering over a bed with his stethoscope out. She can't see the patient though because Miles is in the way.

"Who else got hurt?" She asks Bass, though he merely shakes his head in answer.

As they continue to watch through the window, Miles moves off to the side just enough for Charlie to see none other than herself lying pale and bloody in the bed. Gene is trying desperately to stop the bleeding in her side, but it doesn't look good. Charlie steps back from the window in shock. Knowing that you're dead is one thing, but actually seeing it happen is something else altogether. Bass takes her hand and gives it a gentle squeeze, but she rips it away, anger suddenly tearing at her chest.

"Why are you showing me that? What's the point of this?"

He reaches for her desperately. "Because you need to see it so you can make a choice."

She stops struggling against him. "What do you mean, a choice. I'm dead, that's that." Bass suddenly looks a bit awkward and hesitant, making her feel unsure. "Unless I'm not dead," she says quietly.

Sighing, he pulls her close and kisses her gently on the lips. "I don't know what happened. I don't really understand any of this, I am pretty new at being dead, but I don't think that you're supposed to be here."

"Well then how did I get here?"

"I'm not sure, but... maybe when I asked you to come with me... I don't know, maybe it took me seriously." He looks away from her guiltily. "I'm sorry, Charlie. I didn't mean for you to actually come here."

"So you don't want to be with me?" It seems like a silly question, all things considered, but Charlie can't help but feel insecure after she's bared her soul to him.

"No, of course I do," he says quickly. "I already told you, I love you. But I can't ask you to stay here when you have a life to go back to."

Charlie shakes her head. "No, not without you."

"What about Miles and your mom?"

She laughs humorlessly. "They have each other, they don't need me."

"Yes they do, Charlie. More than you know." He points back to the water window and they watch as Rachel runs into the room and spots her daughter, bloody and dying, on the bed. It almost seems unreal to watch her face crumble and the tears stream down her cheeks as she holds onto dying Charlie's hand.

"See?" Bass says. "It's sad that it takes you almost dying for her to figure it out, but Rachel needs you, Charlie. She won't be able keep going if she loses you, and the world is counting on her."

"What do you mean?"

"The nano. Your mom is the only one that can stop it, but without you she'll lose her mind completely this time and then the nano will take over."

"So-so you want me to go..." Her heart feels like it's breaking all over again after being whole for such a short amount of time, but Bass grabs her by the shoulders to face him and makes her meet his eyes.

"No. If I had my way, we would stay here forever, together. But I've been selfish my whole life, causing pain everywhere I go. Maybe it's time to do the right thing."

"No, I want to stay-"

"Charlie listen, if Rachel doesn't stop the nano, then it will take over everything and everyone. There won't be anymore happiness, anywhere, ever again. If you don't go back, the entire world will be stuck in a life without happiness, sadness, anger, even love. There won't be anything left."

Wrapping her in a tight embrace, he kisses the top of her head. "I don't want you to leave," he whispers. "But I have to let you go."

Tears slip down her cheeks, staining his white shirt. "I don't want to go," she cries.

"It'll be OK, baby. It's not forever."

And it seems terrible to hope for it, but now Charlie can't wait until the day she dies.

"How do I get back?" She asks shakily.

He takes her hand in his and leads her down the beach. They stop in front of a large seashell, about the size of a football, and Charlie looks at it. "This is where I woke up. Well, it's where I woke up right after I died... I guess."

Bass nods. "Me too. It should take you back."

And even as the words leave his lips, Charlie's vision starts to blur. His face becomes hazy and the sea smelling air is gone, his voice sounds far away.

"I love you, Charlie."

But now that she's faced with the reality of actually leaving, she realizes she doesn't want to go. The idea of going back without him, to be all alone again, is unbearable.

More tears fall down her cheeks as she whispers, "come with me."

She can't hear what he says in return, but she sees his smile and knows that he will never leave her alone.

* * *

Everything hurts. The pain is radiating from her side, making it nearly impossible to stay where she is. Charlie opens her eyes, finding an old, decrepit ceiling above her. She groans in pain, shocking the person laying with their head propped on her bed from sleep.

"Charlie, oh my God. Gene! Rachel! She awake!"

Miles leans over her and into her line of sight. "Jesus, kid, you scared the shit out of me."

Smiling weakly, Charlie reaches for his hand and squeezes. "Big baby."

He grins, trying to hide the tears of relief as Rachel comes running full speed into the room, nearly knocking him over in her haste to reach her daughter.

"Oh, Charlie. Oh, my little girl." She starts sobbing in earnest and it's almost too much for Charlie to bear. Normally her mother barely tolerates her presence, so this is definitely a big change. She pats her mom's shoulder awkwardly.

"I'm fine, Mom. Seriously."

"You are not fine," Gene says as he comes into the room. He already has his stethoscope out and is checking her vitals before Charlie can even say hello. "You were stabbed in the kidney, so I had to remove it. Not to mention three broken ribs, you're damn lucky they didn't puncture a lung. I can't believe you're even awake." He stops his exam and gives her a watery smile. "I honestly thought we'd lost you."

Charlie frowns. "All of that stuff... How long have I been out?"

"Almost three days," Miles tells her.

"It didn't feel like it was that long," she says, but it's more to herself. Of course her dream had felt like it was only a few hours, apparently dream time is different than real time. It felt so genuine and life-like, but now she feels kind of silly for thinking that it was real. She wonders, and even let's herself hope for a moment, if maybe the dream had been wrong about Bass' fate.

"Where's Bass?"

But judging by the dark expression on her uncle's face, that part of the dream had at least been true.

"He's dead, isn't he." She says quietly. Miles simply nods.

Gene finishes up with his exam while she sits in subdued silence. Her heart feels heavy with the loss of her only friend and the world seems a little less bright without him. Despite everything she'd done to stop it, Bass had somehow managed to carve out a place in her heart for himself, and now she feels lost without him.

Gene puts away his equipment and gently squeezes her shoulder. "You should rest, sweetheart. I don't want you moving around for a while. Having a kidney removed is no laughing matter, you need to give your body time to heal."

"OK, Grandpa."

He leaves the room, dragging a reluctant Rachel with him, and leaving Charlie alone with Miles.

"You OK, kid?"

She gives him the best smile she can muster and nods. "Yeah, I'm just tired I think."

"Well rest up then." He sends her a small smile, filled with relief that she's alive. "Enjoy it, though, 'cause there's no way I'm letting you lay around forever."

Charlie rolls her eyes as he leaves the room and leans back against the pillows piled on her bed. Her eyes quickly drift closed and she's asleep in minutes. Her dreams are filled with meadows full of flowers and ocean waves tumbling over the beach. There are small children as well, all clad in pure white cotton and smiling widely. Charlie wakes with the feel of warm lips against hers only to open her eyes and find herself alone in the family's safe house.

She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.

It was just a dream. It wasn't real. Those kids don't exist and Bass is dead. Now she'll never know what would have happened if she had just let herself love him when there was still time.

She can picture the scene perfectly in her mind, like the most elaborate fantasy she had ever imagined. The fluffy blanket beneath them, his body pressed against hers, the beautiful meadow in the background. It had been absolutely perfect, but also pointless. She'll never get to feel the real thing.

Suddenly, as if commanded by some imaginary voice in her head, Charlie wants to see Bass. Not actually _see_ him, but his body, the place where he was burried. She eases herself out of bed, ignoring the pain in her side, and shoves her feet into her boots. Making her way out of the house is easy since it's the middle of the night. Everyone else is sleeping, she can even hear Miles snoring upstairs. She tumbles down the steps of the front porch out into the yard, looking left and right in the moonlight for recently disturbed earth.

It takes about ten minutes with her slow movements, but she eventually finds what she's looking for in the back yard beneath a tall maple tree. There's no cross to mark his grave, Miles must know better than to try that one, but there is a marking on the tree just above Bass Monroe's final resting place. An 'M' encased in a circle and just beneath it, the letters 'B. M.'

The sight brings tears to her eyes and she sinks to her knees next to the fresh mound of dirt. Her fingers sink into the dirt and she squeezes, trying to hold back thebsobs threatening to escape her chest. She loses the battle, letting them break over her like the ocean waves over her toes.

A twig snaps, pulling her back from her misery and putting her senses on high alert. But one look around her shows nothing, not a soul in sight. She wipes her eyes and is preparing to get to her feet when he steps out from behind the maple tree.

Holey jeans, black leather jacket, blue eyes, and blonde curls.

Charlie blinks several times and rubs her eyes expecting him to disappear, but with each pass of her hand he's still there. Bass is standing right in front of her, his smile soft and gentle, his eyes full of love and warmth.

"Wh-"

" _Charlie?"_ Miles' voice cuts over her confusion and she can hear his footsteps coming around the house, though she can't take her eyes off of the man standing in front of her.

"Charlie, are you out here?"

She looks back at the house for just a moment as Miles comes around the corner. "Over here," she manages to squeak out. Pointing at Bass she says, "look, it's-" But when she looks back at the maple tree, Bass is gone.

"Look at what?" Miles asks distractedly. "Charlie, what the hell are you doing out here, Gene told you to stay in bed."

But she's still staring at the spot where Bass just vanished from.

"Charlie? Kid, what's wrong?"

"I..." She sighs, hating herself for even believing it for a moment. "Nothing. I think I need to go back inside now."

Miles helps her to her feet and basically carries her back inside. They get her settled back in bed with an agreement not to mention her little outing to Rachel and Gene before Miles heads back to bed. He shuts the door to her bedroom, revealing Bass standing behind the door.

Charlie sits up straight in shock, her heart leaping up into her throat. "How are you... What are you doing here?"

He leans back against the wall with a smug smile. "Well, you asked me to come with you."


	2. Chapter 2

"What are you doing here?" Charlie asks with fear filling her voice.

Bass steps towards her bed with his hands out in a calming gesture. "You asked me to come with you, so here I am."

"But... you... you're dead," she whispers, drawing back away from him. "How did you even get in here, were you hiding behind the door this whole time? Why didn't you say something earlier?" Her heart is beating frantically in her chest from both fear and hope. Hope that Bass is there with her and fear that a dead man is standing in her room.

"You're dead," she repeats, as if saying it again will make him disappear.

Bass stands at the foot of the bed and stares at her. His face is carefully blank, but his blue eyes are full of the emotions running through him. Charlie can see the love he feels for her, practically feel it from her seat on the bed, but there's hurt there as well. Almost like he's disappointed with her reaction to seeing him again. The strong desire to embrace him suddenly burns in her chest. She wants to hug and kiss him, and soothe his fears and worries. But then she remembers his body laying on the ground with a hole in his chest. She thinks about the mound of dirt out back with the man she loved burried beneath it.

"You're not real," she tells him. "Bass is dead."

"I know that, Charlie." He says gently. "I am dead, but I'm also really here." He moves around the bed towards her again with his hand outstretched, but Charlie shakes her head furiously and shrinks back.

"No, get away from me!"

Bass, or the vision of him, stops and shakes his head sadly, backing away as loud footsteps come running down the hall towards her room. Miles bursts through the door, drawing Charlie's eyes away from imaginary Bass, with his sword in hand. Breathing heavily, he looks around the room, finding nothing but a terrified looking Charlie sitting up in her bed.

"Kid, what's going on?" He asks, coming over to sit on the edge of her bed. Charlie looks back to where imaginary Bass was just standing and stares at the empty space.

"I just... I saw..." She sighs heavily. "I don't know. Maybe it was just a dream."

Nodding in relief, Miles smooths some of her hair back from her face. "You've been through a lot in the past few days, Charlie. You need to let yourself rest." He pushes her back down onto the pillows gently and Charlie grabs his hand. He looks startled by it at first, but after a moment gives her hand a squeeze. "It's alright, it was just a dream."

Charlie pulls their joined hands up to her face and rests her cheek against the back of his hand as she looks around the room for her imaginary friend. "I know," she says, not totally convinced. "I just... Will you sit with me for a little bit?" And she hates how childish it sounds, but right now, keeping away the nightmares is more important than her pride.

Miles frowns a little, surprised by the sudden openness and fear, but flips it into a small smile. "I'm right here, kid. I'm not going anywhere." Smiling sleepily, her eyes drift closed and she falls asleep with Miles watching over her.

* * *

When Charlie wakes again, it's to find Bass standing over her with his hands hovering over her wounded side.

"What the hell are you doing?" She screeches.

Backing away quickly, he keeps his hands up where she can see them. "Relax, Charlie, I'm just trying to help."

But before she can argue with him, Gene comes hurrying into the room looking alarmed. "Sweetheart, what's wrong? I heard you yelling."

Looking around the room, she sees that Bass has disappeared again. Charlie looks back to her grandpa and gives him a nervous smile. "Sorry, Grandpa. I, uh... moved funny and it pulled on my stitches. Hurt like a bitch."

He moves farther into the room and crouches next to the bed, pulling back her shirt so he can check the wound. "Oh my God," he gasps.

"What, what's wrong?" Charlie crains her neck so she can see the damage, but is shocked to find that nothing is there. Not a cut or a scar, not even the thread that had been holding her injured flesh together.

"What the hell," she breathes. She looks up and sees Bass standing at the foot of the bed again, this time looking far to pleased with himself.

"How did this happen?" Gene asks, poking at the spot where her kidney used to be.

Charlie continues to looks at Bass, who is smiling smugly, but shakes her head. "I have no idea."

Rachel comes into the room with a bowl in her hands and walks right past Bass like he isn't even there, completely oblivious to their shock. "Are you hungry, sweetie? I made breakfast." She holds the bowl out to Charlie but stops when she notices the looks of disbelief on her father and daughter's faces. "What is it?"

"It's Charlie," Gene says slowly, as if he still can't believe it. "She's healed."

"Healed?" Rachel asks with a laugh. "Dad, she just had major surgery, she's not healed."

But Charlie shakes her head at her mother and gets up from the bed, lifting her shirt to show off her nonexistent wound. Rachel's eyes go wide and she kneels in front of her to poke and prod at the healthy skin. "This isn't possible," she breathes.

"Didn't you say that Aaron came back from the dead last year? I mean compared to that, recovering from surgery seems pretty boring."

"Wait a minute, the nano did this to you?" Rachel asks worriedly.

Charlie takes note of her mother's fear of the technology but decides not to call her on it. Bass has relocated to the corner of the room and is watching the family scene unfold disinterestedly. She isn't sure how he did it, but she knows that Bass is the one that cured her.

"I have no idea how it happened," she lies. "I'm just as shocked as you are."

"Shocked about what?" Miles asks as he comes strolling into the room. He sees Charlie out of bed and rolls his eyes. "No, I'm not shocked that she's out of bed when she's supposed to be resting, so don't bother asking."

Giving him a smug smile, Charlie shoves her feet into her boots and grabs her crossbow. "Actually Miles, I don't think I'll be needing anymore rest today." She doesn't even bother explaining it to him, choosing to saunter out of the room with Bass at her heels, leaving the rest of her family to wonder what happened.

Once outside, Charlie turns to Bass angrily. "What did you do?"

He gives her an incredulous look and shakes his head. "I helped you. You would have been bedridden for weeks, Charlie. I just saved you from being bored to death." He stands back against the side of the house and smirks. "A thank you, would be nice."

Charlie opens her mouth to tell him to shove it, but stops herself to consider what she's _actually_ doing. She is currently standing outside talking to a dead man. A man that is burried about twenty feet away from where she's arguing with his imposter. One that her family can't even see. Imagine if one of them were to walk outside and see her yelling at the side of the house. They'd think she was crazy... Maybe she is crazy.

"You're not real."

Bass sighs. "I know that you think that, but I am real. I promise."

"And I'm supposed to just believe you? After you just healed me like it was - I don't even know - like it was magic. And now you want me to think you're real, but you can't be, because Bass is dead."

"Charlie..." He reaches for her but she pulls out of his range.

"Look, I don't know what you did to fix me or what you even are, or what you have planned. But I'm not interested. So just leave me alone." She leaves him, the not-Bass, standing there with a dejected look on his face.

* * *

A full day passes without another encounter. Rachel has spent the majority of the past twenty-four hours with her head shoved in her little journal muttering about equations and consequences while Gene has been bothering her every chance he gets. He's taken her vitals once every hour, twice when she let's him get away with it, and given her three exams. All of them have ended with the same conclusion, she's been completely healed, just like magic.

Charlie has spent most of her time avoiding being alone. She has a sneaking suspicion that the moment she's by herself, imaginary Bass will show up again. Unfortunately though, Miles has caught on to what she's doing.

"Are you OK?" He asks, as they walk to the stream for water.

Charlie picks at some imaginary dirt on her sleeve and nods. "Mhmm, I'm fine." He nods but she can tell he doesn't believe her, though they make it to the stream before he decides to press her further.

"Are you sure you're alright, 'cause-"

"Miles, I'm fine."

Sighing, he tosses a couple of canteens down on the ground and gives her a strange look. It borders between worry and annoyance, and it makes Charlie squirm uncomfortably. She has no idea how to explain why she's been following him around all day without telling him about her imaginary friend, and she can't imagine that her uncle would enjoy hearing about her delusional fantasies about his best friend. He starts to say something but stops and looks away from her, swinging his arms around awkwardly like he doesn't know what to do with himself.

"Look, I know that you and Bass were... friends. And I get it, you guys worked good together. I just... I'm wondering if maybe it wasn't more than that." He says all of this slowly, like he doesn't even want to say it but that the curiosity is getting the best of him.

Charlie looks away from him as well, torn between the real Bass - the one that died in her arms - and the one from her dreams.

"No," she finally says. "We weren't... well, we weren't anything. Other than what you saw, I mean. He was my friend. That's all." And even just saying the words out loud causes her heart to ache.

Miles nods understandingly, but then shakes his head, giving her a disbelieving look. "When I found you guys, Bass was already gone and you were halfway there, but you guys were holding hands and you were practically laying on top of him."

Shrugging, Charlie starts filling the canteens to give herself something to do other than lying to her uncle. "He was scared, Miles. He asked me to hold his hand and I knew he was dying, so I did. And then I passed out. I don't even remember anything else until I woke up back in the safe house."

"But then I found you outside at his grave, and you were crying-"

"Because he was my friend."

"And then you started screaming in your sleep and you wanted me to sit with you. And now you're following me around and being all clingy. It's just weird. You're being weird."

Charlie drops her canteen in the stream with a plop and turns to face her uncle, her eyes full of the pain and confusion that have been haunting her since her dream. "Well, I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was being such a bother." She gets up and walks away, dreading being alone but unwilling to admit it.

"Charlie, wait, that's not what I meant." Miles grabs her by the arm but she wrenches herself from his grip, the uncontrollable desire to be alone suddenly overtaking her as she runs away from him.

After running what feels like miles, she finally let's herself stop and lean against a tree to rest. Her back slides down the side of it, her jacket catching on the bark on the way down, pulling at the leather like Bass is pulling at her heart.

"You shouldn't be so hard on him. He just lost someone too, you know."

Charlie tries to ignore the man as he steps into her line of sight and sits down directly across from her, but it's hard not to look up into his perfect, blue eyes.

"You're not real," she tells him again, which only serves to make him laugh.

"So you keep telling me."

They sit in silence for a while, him openly studying her face and Charlie simply trying to ignore the heat of his gaze. She hates that he's here but she doesn't want him to leave, and she hates herself for that weakness. After a while, she finally can't take it anymore.

"What do you want from me?"

"Nothing. I just want you."

The sound of his voice is so real, so much like Bass. And his face is exact, the shape of his nose and the line of his lips. The man sitting across from her is Bass... But he isn't. And it's killing her inside.

"You're not real." She pulls her knees up to her chest and hides her face in her hands to try and protect herself from her own mind. But she can still hear him. It's like the wind rustling over the leaves on the ground, but she knows it's him. When she lifts her head and cracks one eye open, it's to find him only a breath away. His eyes are a mixture of sadness and yearning, like he wants nothing more than to kiss her but he knows that it won't be allowed.

"I'm right here, Charlie. I'm real. I promise." She feels his breath fan across her face, making her own hitch in her throat.

"You're not real," she chokes out. A tear rolls down her cheek and he catches it with his thumb, the warmth of his skin against hers sending shivers down her spine. He brushes his lips against hers, making her heart rate skyrocket.

"Does this feel fake to you?" He asks, and then he kisses her again, harder, but still soft and gentle. It makes Charlie want to scream with relief and cry in agony at the same time. She has no choice but to push him away, tears streaming down her cheeks, and run back to the safe house, away from the walking memory. The whole way there she keeps glancing back behind her, half dreading that he'll follow and half hoping that he will.

The door to the safe house slams closed behind her, shocking Rachel from whatever she's busy writing in that damn journal of hers. "Sweetie, I thought you were with..." Her voice trails off as her eyes take in the tear tracks on her daughter's cheeks. "Oh, Charlie. What happened?"

But she can't take it right now. The sickly sweet tone of Rachel's voice, Miles giving her strange looks, and a dead man kissing her in the woods. It's all too much for her right now. She needs a break.

Turning on her heel, Charlie flees the safe house and heads for the nearest town in search of a much needed distraction.

* * *

The whiskey burns down her throat and she welcomes it like an old friend. The bar is full of people. Drunks and whores, farmers and blacksmiths. Apparently, this community sees no reason to distinguish between the different types of 'working class' citizens. It doesn't bother Charlie. She ignores them all from her corner booth, a full glass in front of her with the almost empty bottle in her hand. A few guys have stopped by to say hi, but it only takes one look for them to back off. She's not in the mood anyway, not after that kiss. The feel of Bass' lips, whether real or not, was intoxicating in a way that alcohol could never hope to achieve. But maybe that's her problem. Maybe what she really needs is to let that frustration out so it can run its course and she can be done with it.

A man near the bar with dark blonde hair and broad shoulders catches her eye.

Maybe... Maybe just this once.

Charlie approaches the man, ignoring the woman with dark hair and ample cleavage already by his side, and grabs him by the front of his jacket, pulling him down so she can whisper in his ear. "Why don't you buy me a drink," she tells him.

The man wipes the shocked look from his face and grins, automatically putting his hands on her hips and pulling her closer. "Absolutely." The dark haired woman gets left behind without a second thought and he leads her to the bar with a hand on her lower back, his fingers itching to go lower. Charlie shoves away the feeling that this is wrong, that his hands aren't possessive enough or that his eyes aren't the right shade of blue. She ignores the feeling of betrayal and let's the whiskey in her gut take control. He nuzzels her neck as they wait for more drinks and she let's his hands wander where they will. She ignores everything except for the feeling of this man's strange hands on her body until she hears _his_ voice.

"Seriously? I don't know if I should be angry or insulted."

Charlie tilts her head away from the man to find Bass standing on the other side of her barstool.

"I mean, I thought it was pretty great kiss, but you obviously thought otherwise." He's smiling at her, but she can see the underlying hurt in his eyes. It makes her feel absurdly guilty. The guy's lips have worked their way up her neck and are moving along her jaw, coming dangerously close to her lips. Bass frowns at the man's progress and sighs.

"Don't do this Charlie. It isn't necessary. Let's just go back to the safe house." He lays a warm hand on her thigh, making her body jerk towards him with an uncontrollable yearning. "Let me take care of you," he whispers.

"Is something wrong?" The guy on the other side asks. And it's only now that Charlie realizes that he's got a hand under her shirt.

"Uh..." She pushes the strange man away, suddenly hating herself for letting some random stranger touch her like that. "I gotta go." She slides from her stool with Bass so close behind that she can feel his breath on her neck.

The man huffs and turns to walk away muttering, "whatever."

Charlie feels rather than hears Bass sigh with relief and lets him lead her out of the crowded bar with a hand on her back. It feels so real to have him by her side again but she knows that no one else can see him. To them, she's just a drunk girl wandering out of a bar all by herself, but she knows better. She knows that Bass will get her home safe. Except for the fact that he's leading her the wrong way.

"Where are we-"

But her words are cut off as Bass pulls her into the alley behind the bar and presses her against the back of the building, claiming her lips in a heated kiss. Charlie let's herself go into it. Just this once and then it'll be out of her system. She tangles her fingers in his soft curls and pulls him close, moaning into his mouth when presses his leg between her thighs. The pressure between her legs has been building ever since he kissed her in the woods earlier and now she's ready to burst. Charlie grinds herself down on his leg seeking friction for her release but Bass pulls away.

"Wait, what are you-"

And her question goes unasked again when he shoves his hand down the front of her jeans, his fingers expertly parting her soaked folds. She buries her face in his neck to muffle her moans as he fucks her with his fingers, the heel of his hand grinding against her clit in a delicious rhythm. Her orgasm tears through her hard and fast, making her knees shake so she sags against his strong frame.

"See?" He says close to her ear, his voice full of triumph. "I told you I'd take care of you."

Charlie let's him lead her back to the safe house with his arm wrapped around her waist, both because he wants too and because she may have drunk more than she intended. As they stumble into the safe house, she accidentally knocks over a chair which brings Miles from his room ready for a fight. He drops his sword as soon as he spots her and rushes forward, embracing her tightly.

"I'm sorry, kid. I didn't mean any of that stuff I said earlier."

She smiles up at him. "S'OK. I know you're just worried."

"Wait, are you drunk?"

Snorting, she stumbles back into Bass but he catches her and sets her gently on her feet. "Nope," she giggles.

"Oh God, Charlie. You can't just run around in the middle of the night drunk off your ass. Who knows what kind of weirdos you could run into around here."

Attempting to stifle another giggle, she gives Bass a sideways glance. "Uh, there are weirdos everywhere Miles."

His eyes flick over to where she had looked and he looks right through Bass as if he isn't even there. "Uh, are you sure you're OK?"

And maybe it's the whiskey talking or the wonderful promise of sex soon to come, but Charlie doesn't want to waste anymore time talking to her uncle, so she saunters past him towards her bedroom door. "Oh, don't worry about me. I'll be just fine here in a little bit." She slams the door with a grin and turns to find Bass leaning against her dresser watching her with an amused smile.

"You are drunk," he says.

"Yup." Charlie giggles again and strips out of her clothes before laying down on the bed, stretching slowly for him to see. "You gonna let that stop you?"

He shrugs out of his jacket and let's it drop to the floor as he crosses over to her, shedding the rest of his clothes on the way. "Definitely, not."

So maybe she's a little crazy for having sex with a hallucination of her uncle's dead, best friend. Or she's quite possibly completely insane. Either way, nothing is going to stop her from enjoying it.

* * *

The sun warming her face is what finally wakes her up. Charlie rolls over and reaches for the warm body that's supposed to be next to her but finds nothing but empty space. She knew that it was a bad idea to let herself indulge in fantasies and now she's paying the price. It's like losing Bass all over again.

"I wasn't sure how you'd feel about finding me in your bed, so I moved just in case." Charlie throws back the blanket and sits up, her eyes immediately finding Bass standing next to the bedroom door again. The relief spreading through her at the sight of him is absurd, but so welcome.

"I thought you were gone," she says softly. Bass moves to sit next to her on the bed, making her feel a little self conscious about being completely naked while he's fully dressed. Sensing her discomfort, he leans over and trails wet kisses along her collarbone.

"You're so beautiful." Biting back a moan, Charlie jumps up from the bed and starts pulling on her clothes. "What are you doing?" He whines.

"What do you think Miles would say if he came in here and found me sitting here by myself, naked, and moaning."

With a wicked grin, he gets up and quickly pins her to the wall, attacking her neck with hot kisses. "That you're a woman who knows how to take care of herself."

Charlie snorts and pushes him away. "Well I did just spend the night with an imaginary man, so I guess I am pretty good at taking care of myself." He rolls his eyes but consents to let her actually get dressed this time. She's only just pulling her shirt over her head when Miles walks in and gives her a quick once over.

"So are you alright now?" He asks.

"Was I ever not?" She shoots back.

He winces slightly, whether from last night's drunken encounter or her attitude, and beckons her out of the room. "Come on, your mom has some stuff she wants to tell us."

"Us?"

"Yeah, she said it's complicated and she doesn't want to have to explain it more than once. Aaron and Priscilla should be here in a little bit."

"What does Mom need Aaron for?"

Rolling his eyes, Miles heads back out the door towards the living room. "Hell if I know. It's probably some more of their crazy science shit."

As Miles disappears down the hall, Charlie turns to Bass with a worried look. "It's probably about the nano."

He nods. "Knowing Rachel, yeah, probably."

"In my dream, or whatever you want to call it, you said that my mom is the only one that can stop the nano."

"Rachel created it, so she'll have to destroy it."

"How, though?"

"No idea. My job is to help you, help her."

Charlie shrugs her shoulders and shakes her head. "I can't help her. I know even less about science crap than Miles."

Picking up her jacket from the floor, Bass pulls her to her feet and helps her slip it on. "I don't know exactly what you're supposed to do Charlie. I just know that I'm supposed to help you do it."

"So that's why you're really here. You have to help me."

He gives her a little smile and nods. "Yes."

"But you have no idea what we're supposed to be doing," she adds amusedly.

Bass grins and gives her a quick peck on the lips. "Nope."


	3. Chapter 3

"So let me get this straight, you want us to walk all the way to some crap town in Idaho, just so we can _maybe_ get rid of your tiny power-hungry robots, and we'll _most likely_ wind up dead if we do it, but you want to do it anyway."

Charlie watches Miles glare at her mother in a way that makes it perfectly clear that he hates this plan, though she doesn't even flinch.

"Yes."

He throws his hands up in the air in exasperation and turns to look at Aaron, Priscilla, and Charlie. "Please tell me that I'm not the only one who thinks this is a terrible idea."

Aaron and Priscilla remain quiet, both of them obviously seriously considering Rachel's plan. Miles sighs and gives them up as a lost cause, turning to his niece as his last hope. "Charlie, what do you think?"

She knows what Miles wants her to say - hell, she wants to say it - but the feel of Bass' arm pressed against hers as he stands beside her reminds her that they have a mission to complete. Rachel is the only one that can stop the nano and it's their job to help her.

"I'm sorry, Miles. I know that it sounds crazy, but we have to put an end to this. And not just for us, the whole world is depending on us to stop the nano from taking over. We can't let them down."

Bass shifts beside her and she spares him a sideways glance, noting the proud look on his face with a sense of accomplishment. Miles looks around the room at everyone, his eyes landing on Gene. "I'm gonna go out on a limb here, and say that you probably agree with them."

Shrugging, Gene nods. "They're my girls. I'll follow them anywhere."

Miles nods, and Charlie knows that the same sentiment goes for him as well. He turns and heads for he and Rachel's room, presumably to pack his things, muttering to himself along the way. "This is really gonna suck."

* * *

Spare clothes, a first aid kit, extra ammunition, and a cherished bar of goat's milk soap all get carefully sorted into Charlie's pack as she prepares for their journey. Miles is out 'borrowing' a wagon for them while Gene stocks up on supplies. She stops and looks around the room for a missing item.

"Where did my-"

"Looking for this?" Bass appears at her side holding her flint rocks in his hand. Charlie swipes them up and stashes them in the front pocket of her pack, all the while giving him a suspicious look.

"How long were you waiting for the chance to appear so you could give them to me?"

He feigns innocence, smiling bigger than any natural smile should be. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I was just trying to help."

"Yeah. OK."

Ignoring her tone of disbelief, he plops down on the bed while she gathers her crossbow and excessive number of knives that she hides on her person. "By the way, you may want to let Gene know that he should get extra flour while you guys are here. Shopping opportunities will be hard to come by on the route Miles is planning to take."

"And how do you know what route Miles is planning on taking?"

He scrunches up his face and shrugs. "Intuition?"

Charlie raises an eyebrow at him but he merely grins in response. "Look, I just know how Miles is, that's all."

"Yeah. OK."

He sighs. "This is gonna become a thing, isn't it? You not believing what I say."

"Only if you keep lying to me."

He hesitates. "I'm not lying... well, not completely. This thing - whatever it is that's making me be here - also gives me certain... abilities."

"Like knowing when I need something or what Miles may be planning to do," she suggests.

"Yes. But I can't just tell you that kind of stuff."

"Why not?"

Bass frowns, tilting his head from side to side in consideration. "Because giving you those details could have an affect on things. It might... screw up the mission or mess with something that we shouldn't have any part of."

Charlie shakes her head, her brow furrowed in concentration. "I don't understand."

"It could mess up the future," he says simply. At seeing the surprised look on her face, he quickly continues. "Not that I can see the future though. I just have a general idea of what will happen, but that's alright for me because I can't do anything to affect the future, because I'm not actually apart of the world anymore. You, however, can change the future, which is why I can't tell you anything."

Charlie nods slowly as her brain processes this information. "But you just told me to have Grandpa stock up on extra flour. Wouldn't that be considered interfering?"

Bass makes a pained face. "Yeah, I guess it would... But I was just trying to save you guys from starving to death before we even make it to Idaho, so I don't think that counts."

"We won't starve, I'll be able to hunt on the way."

"It'll be winter soon, and hunting in the Rocky Mountains during winter is going to be practically impossible. You guys need to make sure that you're plenty prepared."

Charlie sighs as she sits down next to him, her head already swimming from what will likely be a long and difficult journey. "You're coming with me, right?" She asks, suddenly worried that her future might not include him.

He grabs her hand and pulls it up to his lips, kissing each of her fingers reverently. "I'll never leave your side. That's a promise." She smiles, because despite the fact that no one else can see him, it's great having him back.

* * *

They've only been on the road for three days and Charlie already thinks that she's about to die of boredom.

"Want to play a game?" Bass asks, as he lounges by her feet. Aaron and Priscilla had claimed the area at the front of the wagon for themselves and Gene had set himself up near the middle, which left her with the tail end and the bumpiest ride. She looks over at her fellow wagon riders, checking to make sure that none of them are paying attention, before nudging Bass painfully in the side with her foot.

"Stop talking to me," she mutters under her breath.

He groans in pain and rolls away from her a bit, sending her a half hearted glare. "What did I do now?"

She looks over at the others again, making sure that her grandpa really is asleep before answering. "I don't want them to think that I'm talking to myself."

"But you aren't talking to yourself."

"I know that, but they don't. They can't see you, remember?"

He flops onto his back with a sigh, kicking his feet off of the back of the wagon in defeat. "I know. I actually tried to talk to Miles this morning."

"You did? How'd it go?"

He laughs humorlessly. "It didn't go anywhere. Like you said, they can't even see me."

Charlie watches him stare moodily up at the sky, only just now realizing how hard this must be for him. Until now, she'd only been concerned with how seeing Bass was affecting her. It hadn't occurred to her that _not_ being seen might affect Bass.

"Hey." She nudges him with her foot again, much gentler this time, and waits for him to meet her eyes. "I see you," she says quietly. His face slowly stretches into a smile, making his eyes twinkle, and he sits up to lean against the opposite side of the wagon facing her.

"So do you want to play a game, or no?"

She looks towards the front of the wagon again, noticing Gene stirring from his nap. "Not right now. Why don't you tell me a story instead."

"A story?" Charlie nods and starts to get comfortable. "What kind of story?"

"I don't know, anything. You could tell me about how you and Miles became friends."

He smiles even brighter this time, lighting up his entire face. "OK, but it's kind of a long story."

"It's going to take weeks for us to get to Idaho, we've got plenty of time."

* * *

A week passes, and then another, and another. They've only just made it into Wyoming and still have a long ways to go before they reach their destination. No one has noticed the conversations that Charlie has with herself yet, which is ridiculous considering how often she has them, but she has caught Miles giving her funny looks from time to time.

Like the other day when they stopped for lunch at an old playground. While everyone else was eating, Charlie and Bass had - unwisely - snuck off into the woods for an impromptu make out session turned quickie. When she got back, it seemed like no one had even noticed she was gone until Miles walked up to her and pulled a twig out of her hair. She'd shrugged it off, claiming it was a bathroom break and he hadn't questioned it, but now it kind of felt like he was watching her all the time.

Luckily though, they had managed to find a nice little farm house to stay in for the night. At least this way Miles couldn't keep an eye on her the whole time.

"I think Miles knows something," Charlie says, as they lay cuddled on the bed together.

"How could he, Charlie? The only way Miles would know what was going on, was if you told him. Which you haven't, right?"

Glaring at the ceiling above them, Charlie huffs angrily. "Of course I didn't tell him."

"Then there's nothing to worry about."

She rolls over onto her side so her back is to him. "Yeah. OK."

He sighs and moves closer, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her back against his chest. "There's no way he could possibly know, Charlie." He says against her shoulder.

"I know," she whispers back. And she truly does know that, but lately it seems that her paranoia is working overtime. She rolls over to face him and lays a hand on his chest, feeling the beat of his heart beneath her hand. "I guess I'm just worried that he'll figure it out somehow and then I'll have to explain it to him, but I have no idea how I would do that. I don't even understand how you're here, I wouldn't be able to explain it to him."

"Well he doesn't know, so there's no reason to worry about it." He says gently.

She nods in agreement and closes her eyes, letting herself drift off to the sound of his heartbeat so close by. It's strong and steady, which would normally soothe anyone to sleep, but it actually prevents her from doing so.

"You're dead," she says all of a sudden.

Bass rolls his eyes at her. "Not this again. I thought-"

"No, no. That's not what I meant. I mean, you're dead, so why do you have a heartbeat?"

He opens his mouth to answer but nothing comes out. "I... I don't know."

Charlie quickly pushes him onto his back before laying her head on his chest with her ear directly over his heart, listening intently to its steady rhythm. "It doesn't make any sense," she says quietly.

"Maybe it's because I'm not real," he says slowly. "Hallucinations can be whatever you want them to be, which I guess would include a guy with a heartbeat."

"But you feel so real," she whispers.

Bass pulls her up to him and kisses her slowly, whispering against her lips. "That's because I am real."

Charlie pulls away from him, sitting up on her knees next to him. "That doesn't even make sense. You can't be real _and_ be a hallucination at the same time."

He sighs, clearly not thrilled with the topic of conversation, but with no obvious way of changing it. "OK, so I'm not a hallucination. Then what am I?"

She balls her fists up in frustration. "That's the point, I don't know."

Pulling her back down to him, Bass kisses her again. "Does it really matter what I am? Can't we just accept that I'm here and move on?"

Charlie nods, feeling slightly guilty. As much as she hates not understanding the why and how of Bass' presence, she's also coming to realize that this is equally hard for him. She may be a crazy person having a relationship with a dead guy, but he's a dead guy that's stuck in the real world with only her to talk to. Either way you look at it, both of them have a hard road ahead of them.

They lay quietly in bed together and Bass drifts off to sleep, but Charlie is still wide awake. It seems that she has inherited her mother's inability to let an issue go. It hurts to admit it to herself, but it is entirely possible that she's been imagining him this entire time. Maybe she's mentally ill or even has a brain tumor that's making her think she sees him. Those would both be logical explanations.

But then again, when has her life ever been logical?

She lived through the initial blackout as nothing more than a child, those first few months where millions of people dropped dead like flies, but she held strong. Her family survived in hiding from a ruthless dictator for years, and when the militia did eventually find them, she somehow managed to escape with her life. She's survived raids and aerial bombings, even a building collapsed on top of her and she managed to live through it. Somehow, Charlie has managed live this long even with the odds stacked against her. It's almost as if she was _meant_ to keep going. As if something, or possibly someone, has been watching out for her this entire time.

Charlie lifts her head slightly to look up at Bass' peaceful face. Relaxed in sleep, he looks ten years younger. His skin is glowing with an almost youthful innocence. Almost, dare she think it, like an angel.

It occurs to her that she and Bass have been looking at this problem from all the wrong angles. She isn't crazy and he most certainly is real. From the moment the lights went out, someone has been watching over her. Watching and waiting, keeping her safe so that when the time came she would be able to complete her mission. It just wasn't until recently that her guardian angel decided to give himself a face.

* * *

Charlie wakes slowly to the feel of light kisses being peppered up and down her neck. She smiles and sinks back into Bass as his fingers tweak her nipples, sending shivers down her spine. Rolling over, she pushes him onto his back and throws a leg over him, straddling his hips.

"Well good morning to you, too." He murmers, propping himself up on his elbows to suck a nipple into his hot mouth. Charlie arches into his touch, grinding her wet slit down on his hardening cock. Bass groans against her breast and reaches around her to grab a handful of her ass, pressing her harder down against him.

"Want you," Charlie breathes, wiggling her hips against him.

He reaches up and grabs the back of her head, pulling her down for a searing kiss as her hand finds his cock and guides him to her dripping entrance. She sinks down onto him easily, settling herself with a low moan. Bass let's her take control, setting a steady pace with her hands splayed across his chest. His hands wander from her hips, to her breasts, to her clit as she rides him, her movements becoming jerky quickly as she gets closer to the edge. She throws her head back, panting and moaning as she slams herself down on his dick. Bass digs his fingers into the flesh of her hips and pulls down harder, thrusting up in time with her.

"Oh, God. Fuck, yes. Oh, Bass." She tumbles over the edge with his name on her lips, her pussy clenching around him like a vice. Her body jerks and slows as she lays down on his chest catching her breath. Bass strokes her back gently as she comes down from her high, waiting until she lifts herself off of him to pay attention to his throbbing dick. Charlie eyes his cock with a sly grin and slithers her way down his body, wrapping her lips around the head and swirling her tongue around it. He groans loudly, tangling his fingers in her hair as he watches her take more of him into her mouth with hollowed cheeks.

It only takes a minute for everything to shatter into a million pieces and he empties himself directly into her mouth. His whole world slows and by the time he's back to reality, Charlie is hovering over him licking her lips with a triumphant smirk. She kisses him slowly, slipping her tongue into his mouth so he can taste his own release.

"You seem pretty happy this morning," he says breathlessly when she pulls away.

Charlie shrugs and gives him another peck on the lips. "I guess I just realized how lucky I am. Most people don't get a second chance to be with someone, and I don't want to waste anymore of it worrying about what you are or why you're here."

Bass smiles and pulls her in for another kiss, whispering against her lips. "Sounds good to me."

They have to get up and get dressed soon though, because they can hear Miles stomping around across the house preparing to leave for the day. As Charlie slips out of bed and starts pulling on clothes, she peeks over her shoulder to look at Bass, smiling to herself and thanking whatever powers that be for sending him back to her.


	4. Chapter 4

More weeks pass with little incident. Miles seems no more aware of Charlie's imaginary friend than he did the day she woke up, and since Rachel's been so busy trying to figure out how to stop the nano, she hasn't noticed anything either. The others seem to be slightly more aware of Charlie's presence, though Aaron and Priscilla have been hard at work trying to assist Rachel, and Gene has simply been trying to keep his daughter from completely loosing her mind.

It's frustrating and lonely for Charlie to watch them all together. It feels almost exactly the way it did before she left Willoughby the first time, like no one even cares that she's there or that they wouldn't even notice if she weren't. At this point, the only thing stopping her from leaving the group is Bass. He's like a light in her never ending darkness. Every time she thinks she can't take another step or listen to Rachel rant one more time, he steps in with his easy smile and loving gaze. It keeps her on track, keeps her focused on the mission. Because destroying the nano is more important than her own hurt feelings right now.

The weather certainly isn't helping her mood though. It's been snowing steadily for days, forcing the group to take shelter in a run-down barn. The farmhouse that goes with it isn't far, but it appears to have been damaged by a storm at some point seeing as how the roof is missing. The barn is mostly in tact, though there are several holes in the ceiling where the snow is falling through and piling up on the floor. They retreat as far from the holes as they can, storing the horses in an empty stable and claiming another for themselves. It's too cold for everyone to separate, so they stick to one stable and build themselves a fire, hoping that the walls around them and their mutual body heat will help keep them warm.

It works well for the first few hours. Charlie even manages to get a few hours of uninterrupted sleep, especially since Bass can't really bug her with everyone else so nearby, but the temperature drops even lower as the night continues, succeeding in making her teeth chatter. She lays awake for what feels like hours, attempting to keep herself warm by tucking her hands in her armpits and wrapping her head in her jacket. It works at first, but the cold somehow manages to seep right back into her bones.

She's dazed and numb with cold by the time warm hands ease their way beneath her blanket. The warmth shocks her so much that she jerks away, displacing her jacket and blankets. She sits up and finds Bass smiling next to her.

"Sorry," he whispers. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Charlie shakes her head and beckons him closer, letting him wrap her up in her blanket again before wrapping himself around the outside of it. He pulls her jacket closer and lays it over both of their heads, trapping their warmth breath between them.

"So cold," Charlie murmers.

"I know, baby." He rubs his hands on her back and up and down her arms in an attempt to warm her up. It doesn't take long for the shaking to subside or for her attitude to return.

"Where have you been?" She asks barely above a whisper. "I've been freezing for hours."

"I know, I'm sorry. I was trying to get here, get to you, but something weird happened. It was like I was blocked. I could see you and hear you, but I couldn't touch you." He reaches up and cups her cold cheek. "But it's OK, I'm back now."

Charlie snuggles even closer, burying her face in his neck, pressing her cold nose against his warm throat. "I wonder why you were blocked," she muses sleepily. Bass kisses the top of her head and closes his eyes, his mind puzzling over the exact same thing.

* * *

The mountains are a terrible place to be travelling in the middle of winter and Charlie's irritation with the entire trip isn't helped by the blankets of ice covering, well, everything. Even the small stream that she manages to track down is completely frozen. She hates to admit it, but Bass was right about them needing to make sure they were prepared. Finding any kind of food in this mess is next to impossible. As she thinks it, Charlie turns to Bass to joke about him finally getting something right, only for him to not be there.

Sighing, she trudges on down a slippery path to try and find some running water that isn't frozen. Bass' absence isn't all that concerning, over the past few weeks he's been disappearing for an hour or two periodically throughout the day. When she asked him where he goes when he's gone, he merely shrugged and said, "away."

Charlie's grown accustomed to his random absences, though she gets a little irritated when he doesn't warn her about them. She frequently talks out loud to him without looking up from what she's doing, not realizing that he isn't there until he doesn't answer. Those instances really do make her feel like she's going crazy, walking around talking to an imaginary friend. Though she thinks the brief separations might be good for them. Spending every waking moment together can't possibly be good for any relationship.

The stream runs downhill and she follows it for another hour before giving the frozen water up as a lost cause. She heads back to camp empty handed, wondering when Bass will come back from his mini vacation. The abandoned convenience store where they've set up their most recent camp looms into view and Charlie hurries inside to get warm. She passes her mother and Aaron, who are deep in conversation about electronics, and her grandpa and Priscilla, who are attempting to stretch what little supplies they have left beyond what is actually possible. She pulls to a stop right in front of the fire opposite Bass, who looks up at her approach and gives her a quick once over. Charlie raises an eyebrow at this, it's unlike him to greet her with anything other than a smile, but decides she can bug him about it later. She turns her back to the fire in an attempt to warm up her backside and finds everyone in the room staring at her.

"What?" She laughs nervously.

No one answers, though they continue to state at her in shock. Before Charlie can ask what's going on, Miles enters the room looking irritated. "Couldn't find her anywhere," he says through chattering teeth as he approaches the fire. He spots Charlie standing there and breaks out into an uncharacteristic smile. "Where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you!" Not giving her a chance to respond, Miles pulls her in for a quick hug and turns them both around to look at Bass. He points directly at him and laughs gleefully. "Look who showed up?"

Time seems to slow for a moment. Charlie looks from Miles' happy face, to the man sitting on the opposite side of the fire, and back to Miles. It's not a joke. She can see the line of Miles' eyes landing directly on Bass and the recognition of the sight of his best friend. Somehow, Miles can see Bass, too. She turns back to Bass with the expectation that he'll explain what's going on, but he merely stares back coolly and says, "hello, Charlotte."

She gives him a dirty look, already exasperated by his aloof attitude. "Seriously? What the hell is going on?"

He puts his hands up in mock surrender as his eyes travel over her face and Charlie is struck by how unfamiliar his gaze suddenly feels. "Easy, Charlie. I mean, I kinda expected Rachel to be pissed but I figured you'd at least be, maybe not happy, but pleased to see me."

There's no way for her to put it into words, but Charlie suddenly knows that something is wrong. The way that Bass is speaking to her isn't the same way he has been for the past several weeks. It's... impersonal. Almost like he doesn't remember the weeks they've spent together. That last thought hits her like a bullet, sending her sprawling back away from Bass - no, Monroe - this stranger before her. Because he is a stranger now. Bass, her Bass, isn't real. Miles can't see him or talk to him because he isn't real. This man sitting by the fire, Monroe, is real. And the man Monroe hasn't been sharing her bed for nearly two months.

Miles takes hold of her shoulders to steady her. "Kid, relax. I know it's weird, but calm down it's just Bass."

Charlie shakes her head frantically, suddenly fearful off the ghost in the room. "No. He-he's dead." Monroe rises to his feet slowly and steps closer, sending Charlie reeling back away from him. "No, stay away from me."

He stops and tilts his head to the side, his expression completely unreadable. "I'm not going to hurt you Charlie," he says evenly. "I know that this is must seem crazy to you, it is for me too, but I'm not dead anymore."

Everyone else seems to be surprised by his presence, though they've all obviously gotten over the initial shock of a dead man showing up in their camp. Even Rachel seems more awed than angry that he's showed up.

Charlie looks at Monroe again and has to admit to herself that he is the same man that she remembers prior to that hole being blown in his chest. Over the past several weeks she's gotten used to her Bass - caring, loving, and sensitive. But in reality, Monroe was colder, harder. No less in tune with what others were feeling, he just didn't seem to care as much. Monroe and Bass are two separate people, now she just has to figure out how to keep the two men separate in her head.

It occurs to her that she's been standing there staring at Monroe for quite a while, which suddenly makes her blush. Mentally scolding herself for losing it in front of everyone, Charlie excuses herself and quickly flees the building so she can try and gather her thoughts without everyone watching. She finds the frozen stream again and falls down onto a snow covered rock, burying her face in her hands.

This isn't even possible. People don't just come back to life.

 _But Aaron did._

Charlie growls at that little voice in her head and sits up determinedly. For some reason, the idea that Monroe has suddenly been resurrected is preposterous to her. Sure the nano saved Aaron, but that was because they needed him. What the hell could the nano need Monroe for?

She thinks of Bass and the mission that they have before them. They have to help Rachel stop the nano. Neither of them still has any idea how they're supposed to do that, but it is the plan. She sits for a while longer, letting herself calm down from the shock of seeing Monroe again, before it it occurs to her that Bass is still missing. It's been several hours and he's usually back by now. She takes a deep breath and convinces herself not to worry. He'll be back, he always comes back.

By the time she arrives back at the convenience store, everyone is asleep except Rachel. Her mother is sitting next to the camp fire with her journal balanced on her knees and her eyes screwed shut. Normally Rachel's problems just annoy her, but at the moment Charlie is glad for the distraction.

"Mom, is everything OK?"

Rachel looks up at her and Charlie watches the emotions play across her face. The first is relief, probably that her daughter has returned, but after that comes frustration and something else that's hard to place. Not necessarily fear, but uncertainty.

Her mother paints on one of those irritating, false smiles and nods her head. "I'm fine, sweetie. Just thinking."

Now normally this is the part where Charlie just walks away, but as her eyes drift over Monroe's sleeping form she can't help but ask what her mom thinks of the situation. Rachel looks over to him as well, the uncertainty from before returning.

"I don't know what to think," she says softly.

The admission sends Charlie's mind spinning. Never once in her life, not even as a child, has she ever heard her mother admit to not knowing something. This above anything else, causes her to worry even more.

"So what do we do?" She asks, marveling at the fact that this is the first time she and her mother have really agreed on anything.

Rachel shrugs and picks up her journal again, flipping through some of the pages. "I'm not sure yet, but I'm working on it."

* * *

Thankfully, Charlie wakes up before anyone else the next morning. She's able to slip out without being noticed and goes in search of a secluded spot so she can think. It's finally stopped snowing, but it's still very cold which means that they won't be leaving the area anytime soon. They'll have to wait until the snow melts enough that the horses can make it through with the wagon. She heads back to the now familiar stream and checks around for any tracks with the hopes of catching something to eat but comes up empty.

The lack of available hunting is starting to catch up with her. It usually soothes her mind when she goes out but now it's merely making her thoughts seem louder in the silence. She wonders where Bass is and why he's been gone for so long. She even let's herself think for a moment that he may not be coming back, though she pushes those thoughts aside quickly. It hurts too much to think of losing him again.

She's deep in those depressing thoughts when she hears the snow crunching under someone's feet nearby. Raising her crossbow, Charlie stands ready to shoot whoever is attempting to sneak up on her.

"Easy, Charlie. It's just me." Bass comes out from behind a tree and she almost sighs with relief at the sight of him, though she stops herself quickly. He looks like Bass and sounds like him, but his demeanor is different. This is definitely Monroe. She lowers her crossbow and turns away from him, intent on putting as much distance between them as possible.

"Where are you going?" He calls after her.

"Hunting." She can't explain it, but something about him sets her teeth on edge.

"Hey." He grabs her by the arm and pulls her around to face him. "What's going on? You're starting to act like Rachel."

Charlie tears herself away from him roughly. "Just leave me alone." But it seems that being dead did nothing to curb Monroe's stubbornness.

"I'm just trying to talk to you," he says angrily.

"Why?"

He hesitates, his breath coming out in angry gasps. "I guess I just thought that maybe... I meant something to you." He looks away from her quickly, seeming embarrassed that he even let the words out of his mouth. "Guess I wrong."

Charlie watches him walk away and is suddenly struck with a strange idea. Although Monroe doesn't know about all of the things that have happened with Bass - the imaginary one - since he died, maybe he does remember the kiss that they shared before he died. She finds herself strangely full of hope all of a sudden, but there's also that little voice inside her head that keeps nagging away at her. It keeps saying that something is wrong.

She ignores it.

"Hey, wait," she calls after him. But he ignores her and keeps walking. "Monroe, wait."

He stops moving but doesn't turn to face her. Charlie finds herself at a loss for words, unsure of how to even approach the topic of his final moments.

"I remember," he finally says into the quiet. It takes her a second to realize that he's talking about the kiss. He turns to face her and now she can see the struggle in his eyes. She's hurt him. The way she reacted to his return yesterday and how she's treating him now. It hurts, but he's trying to hide it. And it breaks her heart that she caused this.

"I'm sorry. I just... I don't even know what to do, or say, or..."

His frown is suddenly replace by a small smile, not the big Bass smiles that she's grown used to, but it's a start. He steps closer and tentatively takes her hand, smiling a little wider when she doesn't pull away.

"This is so weird," Charlie says all of a sudden.

Bass laughs. "What, me coming back to life or this-" He doesn't finish his thought with words, instead deciding to kiss her firmly on the lips. It isn't a heart stopping development, in fact it's a little underwhelming. The feel of Monroe's lips on hers just feels wrong, but then again, this is what she wanted. Isn't it?

Confused, though still kissing him, Charlie opens her eyes and looks over his shoulder, her eyes widening at what she sees there. It's Bass, her Bass, leaning against a tree looking sad and disappointed. She breaks away from Monroe quickly and steps back, her eyes traveling from one man to the other.

"Charlie, what's wrong?" Monroe asks.

But all she can do is shake her head. "I... I need to... I gotta go."

Without so much as a backward glance, she runs. And runs. The sight of two Sebastian Monroes egging her on to go further and further. She finally stops in the middle of an ancient, snow covered parking lot and sits down on the snow built up between two old cars. She breathes in huge gulps of air in an attempt to calm herself, watching her puffs of breath dissipate in the cold air.

 _What the hell is going on?_

Bass is back, though whether that's good news or bad news is currently unclear. Monroe clearly wants her, though she isn't sure if she wants him or the man she's been imagining for two months.

"Are you alright?" Bass asks gently. Charlie jumps up at the sound of his voice and he wisely backs away. "I'm sorry, I know that I've been gone for longer than usual and you probably don't want to talk to me right now, but I needed to make sure you were OK. You looked pretty upset back there."

His voice is so gentle and his eyes so kind that she knows instantly that this is her Bass. It brings tears to her eyes.

"Where have you been?" She can't help but fling herself at him and wrap her arms tightly around his neck. "I was starting to think you weren't coming back."

Bass hugs her tightly and whispers into her hair. "I'll always come back for you." She revels in the feel of him, his warmth and strength surrounding her. He and Monroe are clearly not the same person, even though they are.

"Did you see Monroe?" She asks suddenly.

Bass leans back and raises an eyebrow at her. "Do you mean, did I see you kissing him? 'Cause yeah, I saw you."

Charlie blushes and pushes down the tiny bit of guilt stirring in her gut. "No, I mean he's here, he's alive. Well, you're alive. Or.. I don't know."

But the humor leaves Bass' face and he shakes his head. "I know you want to believe that Charlie, but you know better. Dead people don't come back to life. I don't know what's going on, but I already have a bad feeling about him being here."

"What are you talking about? The nano saved Aaron, why not Monroe too?"

"Yeah, but Aaron wasn't burried yet when they fixed him. Monroe's body has been decomposing for weeks, do you really think that they took the time to dig him up and bring him back to life all of a sudden?"

Charlie considers this for a moment. "So you don't think that Monroe is really Monroe?"

"I think that it's possible that the nano has realized that we are coming after them, and in an attempt to stop us, they're infiltrating your family by using someone that they know you guys will trust."

Charlie laughs. "Are you serious? You really think that my mom's little invention would do that?"

"Well they took over Priscilla and used her like a puppet, didn't they? What's to stop them from using a dead guy like a puppet?"

Charlie scoffs. This whole situation is getting more and more ridiculous by the second. "Have you considered that maybe _you_ are the nano's puppet?" She asks him.

"I'm not-"

"How do I know? I mean, no one else can even see you! For all I know you're just the nano pretending to care about me so you can see what my family is doing. Maybe that really is Monroe and you just don't want me near him so I'll stay with you. Maybe you're just jealous that everyone else can see him but not you! "

She stops because she know she's gone too far, though it's already too late. Bass is backing away from her as though she physically hurt him, a sheen of tears in his deep, blue eyes.

"Wait, I didn't mean-"

"Goodbye, Charlie."

"Bass!"

But it's too late. He disappears from right in front of her and no matter how much she calls for him or how many tears she sheds, he doesn't come back.

* * *

It's very late when she finally wanders back into the convenience store. Everyone is asleep except Monroe, who looks up as she approaches.

"Everything alright?" He asks casually.

Charlie doesn't look at him. It hurts too much to look into his eyes and not see the Bass she's come know and love. She crawls into her bedroll and prays that this whole thing has been nothing more than a terrible nightmare.

* * *

A/N Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, you guys are awesome!


	5. Chapter 5

When Charlie wakes in the morning, it's to the sound of children laughing. She opens her eyes slowly and watches the world generate itself around her. This is clearly a dream, but she thinks it might be a good one so she wants to stay. Everything comes slowly into focus and the meadow from her after-death dream appears. Her and Bass' three unborn children are running through the grass collecting daisies while their father chases them. Charlie tries to join chase, but always seems to find herself blocked by some invisible force. Bass and the two little boys keep on running like they don't see her, though the little girl comes close and stands with her hand pressed flat against the invisible barrier between them. Charlie presses her hand against it as well and the little girl smiles, warming her heart.

Then the little girl bursts into flames.

* * *

Charlie sits bolt upright with a scream trapped in her throat. Aaron runs over with Priscilla at his heels and kneels in front of her.

"Charlie, it's OK." He puts his hands on her shoulders and shakes her gently. "It was just a dream, Charlie. You're alright."

She draws in a few deep breaths and drags her mind away from the image of the burning child by focusing on Aarons face. Glasses, bushy beard, chubby cheeks. Aaron. She lets out a long breath.

"You alright, kiddo?" He asks gently.

She wishes she could do more than just nod, he's obviously incredibly worried, but she can't manage it right now. Instead, she pushes herself to her feet and gathers her hunting gear. She gives Aaron a half hearted wave and sets off out into the snow surrounding the convenience store. There are several sets of footprints, most of them her own, but she can distinctly see Miles and her mom's heading east around the building and Monroe's going west. She decides to head north.

The sun is shining bright and warm on her exposed skin and the snow around her is slowly melting away. With any luck, they'll be able to leave tomorrow and continue on to Idaho. The thought of Idaho bothers her though. Bass was supposed to help her with whatever mission she's supposed to complete there, and she isn't sure if she can do it without him. Her heart aches for him. The view of him in the meadow with their children swims through her mind but is quickly stomped down for fear of the burning little girl.

It occurs to Charlie that she doesn't even know the girl's name. Silly, considering she is technically her daughter, but no less disturbing. She wonders if Bass knows her name or if the little girl even has one at all. Technically, the little girl was never actually born so it's possible that she doesn't have a name. Charlie spends the next hour or so going over names in her head, but for some reason the only name she isn't immediately disgusted with is Meadow. Her mind wanders as she sits and watches the snow melt, thinking of Bass and Meadow, and hoping that they're happy, wherever they are.

* * *

Charlie isn't sure when she drifted off to sleep again, though she knows she is sleeping due to the meadow surrounding her. Though, Meadow the child is no where in sight. Charlie picks a few daisies and calls for her daughter as she walks to the small pond filled with water lilies. "Hello, is anyone here? Meadow?"

The answer comes in the form of one of the little boys, the oldest one - no more than seven, with his wild, golden curls and deep brown eyes. He smiles and it reminds her of Danny.

"Hi," Charlie says softly. "Where is everyone?"

The little boy shrugs and takes the flowers she picked from her hand, and starts weaving them into her hair. Charlie sits quietly by the pond as the boy works with nimble fingers.

"You're very good at this," she tells him proudly.

He grins. "My sister likes it when I put flowers in her hair."

Charlie nods, finding the clear love for his baby sister adorable. "Where is she? I wanted to see her."

The boy frowns, reminding her of Miles, and shakes his head. "I don't know."

"Well what about the other boy, your brother. And where is Bass? I'm worried about him."

"You shouldn't worry," he says quickly.

"Why not?"

"You shouldn't worry." He repeats again, this time louder.

Charlie stares at him. "What are you talking about, what's going on?"

The little boy turns to glare at her, his eyes flashing a terrifying, bright green. "You shouldn't worry."

Then he bursts into flames.

* * *

She wakes with a start, a horrified scream escaping her lips. Charlie takes several deep breaths and takes in the world around her. It's all trees and melting snow. No meadow, no burning children. She passes a hand over her eyes with relief and runs her fingers through her hair to brush it back from her face, frowning when she feels something tangled there. She brushes whatever it is out of her hair. It's a daisy.

The flower is in pristine condition, seemingly unbothered by the atrocious cold outside. Charlie reaches out to touch one of the petals but as soon as her skin makes contact, it disappears. She looks at the snow surrounding her, then back to where the flower had just been in her hand.

 _What the hell is going on?_

She makes her way back to camp in a daze, her mind filled with images of flowers and laughing children who abruptly catch fire. Bass passes through her mind again, she wonders if he would like the name Meadow. Knowing him, probably not. But it seems to fit the girl nicely and Charlie doesn't want to change it. She thinks of the boy weaving flowers through her hair and wonders what his name will be.

As she enters the convenience store, she notices Monroe right away. He's sitting near the fire facing the door as if he's waiting for someone. As soon as their eyes meet he stands up like he's planning to approach her, but Charlie veers off to the side, inserting herself into Aaron and Priscilla's conversation in order to avoid him.

She knows that she can't avoid him forever, but at the moment all she can think about is Bass calling him a nano puppet. If he's right, then staying away from Monroe is the most important thing right now.

* * *

It's been three days since they finally were able to leave the convenience store, and Charlie's having a really hard time avoiding Monroe. Mostly just because it's hard to ignore someone that you're stuck riding in the back of wagon with, but also because no one else seems to have the slightest issue with his presence. Hell, even Rachel's been playing nice.

But as much as Charlie wishes she could pretend that Monroe is her Bass, she just can't bring herself to do it. The devastated look on Bass' face just before he disappeared has been keeping a firm grip on her heart. She feels guilty, then she feels stupid for feeling guilty over someone who wasn't even real, then she just goes back to feeling guilty again. It's a never ending cycle that isn't doing anything for her already unstable mental health.

Then there's the whole 'Monroe, the nano puppet' problem. For some reason, that internal argument always ends with the image of her son with creepy, green eyes. She isn't sure why.

Her dreams haven't been nearly as vivid lately. They're usually just distorted images of Bass and Meadow playing or the boy, still unnamed, weaving flowers in her hair. Occasionally she wakes up with sweat beading on her forehead and fire on the brain, but she tries to focus on the good instead of the bad.

The one, central thing that Charlie knows for sure is that she misses Bass. She's begged, silently in her head and out loud, for him to return but still hasn't seen him. He's gone. And this time there's no magic dreamland to bring him back. It hurts, but she's trying to move forward.

* * *

Another week passes and her powers of avoiding finally fail her. Monroe manages to catch up with her while she's out hunting down some fresh game.

"Why are you avoiding me?" He asks, without so much as a hello.

Charlie stops mid-step, closes her eyes, and takes a deep calming breath before replying. "I'm not avoiding you." Though she doesn't even attempt to look at him, nonetheless in his direction.

He laughs bitterly and moves to stand in her line of sight. "Right. It's just that you aways seem to run off whenever I try to talk to you. Kinda makes me think you're avoiding me."

She scoffs and turns away from him, determinedly walking away. "Not everything is about you, you know."

"No, it's not, but that doesn't change the fact that you're doing it again right now!"

Charlie stops abruptly, torn between the desire to leave and wanting to soothe the hurt in his voice. She mentally slaps herself and reminds herself that Monroe is not Bass. Monroe does not deserve her coddling.

"Tell me what's going on, Charlie." He pleads. "Why won't you talk to me?"

She bites her lower lip to keep herself from speaking, trying valiantly to ignore how desperate he sounds.

"Look, I'm sorry that I kissed you... I just thought that maybe it would help you feel more comfortable with the whole 'coming back to life' thing. But I guess it only made things worse. Do you think we can just... start over? Please?"

Unbidden, a tear slips down her cheek. Charlie swipes it away and tries to tell herself not to give in. He isn't Bass, no matter how similar he may seem.

"Charlie?" He asks tentatively after she's been silent too long.

She turns to face him but can't seem to make herself look him in the eyes. "I'm sorry. But I can't do this. Whatever this thing with you is."

"Why the hell not?" His reaction shocks her, not because of the outburst, but because he sounds so angry.

"I just can't, OK!" She shouts back. Tears stream down her cheeks and Charlie hates herself for showing this weakness to him. He may not fully understand it, but she knows that he'll figure it out - or something close to it - eventually.

He moves faster than she would have thought possible and cups her cheeks in his warm hands, brushing her tears away with his thumbs. "OK, OK." He says gently. "I'm sorry I yelled. I won't push it anymore, alright? Just... please don't cry."

She nods, her face still in his hands, and sucks in a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I just have a lot on my mind."

"It's alright," he says soothingly. "You shouldn't worry so much, though."

Those words sound eerily familiar to her ears, echoed from her dream with the little boy as he weaved flowers in her hair.

"What did you just say?" She asks, her brain not quite sure what it's trying to tell her.

Monroe shrugs. "I just said that you shouldn't worry so much. And I mean it, it's not good for you."

The little boy with his creepy, flashing, green eyes. _"You shouldn't worry. You shouldn't worry."_

Maybe Bass was right. Maybe Monroe really is the nano.

Only problem is, how can she prove it?

Charlie backs away from him slowly.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she lies. "I just need some space, OK?"

His eyes travel over her face in an unpleasant way. Almost like he's calculating her expression. His eyes focus in on hers and stay there, giving off a strange sense of carefully controlled calm. She starts to back away again.

"You should stop," he says in a low voice, sounding so unlike himself.

Charlie stops, but she knows this is it. She can practically feel the danger in the air. Something is definitely wrong. There's a gun in the back of her jeans, she just has to get to it before he makes his move. Her fingers twitch in the gun's direction, causing Monroe to frown.

"Charlie, what are you doing?" He's adopted that pleading voice again, but she knows better this time. He's just trying to manipulate her.

"What I should have done weeks ago." She whips the gun from the waistband of her jeans and aims it directly at his head, pulling the trigger before he can do more than gasp in shock.

 _ **BANG!**_

The shot throws Monroe back as dark, red blood sprays the trees around him. Charlie stares in horror at his body on the ground while the snow around him starts to turn red.

 _What have I done?_

But as soon as she starts to think that maybe she made a mistake, the hole just left of center in Monroe's forehead starts to glow green. Charlie's drawn towards him by curiosity but stumbles backward when hundreds of fireflies erupt from the hole in his head. They swarm over Monroe's injury for a moment, then disappear.

Monroe sits up slowly as the hole knits shut and opens his eyes, a faint green glow behind them, to glare at her.

"Why would you do that, Charlotte?" He asks in an even tone.

 _It,_ she reminds herself. _It_.

"You're not real," she says faintly. She almost can't believe it. She probably wouldn't if it hadn't happened right in front of her.

"Does it matter?" It asks in a condescending voice. "You have not seemed overly concerned with the difference between the two as of late."

Charlie gapes at it. "How do you- What do you want from me? Why are you doing this?"

"We are very interested in you, Charlotte. You should be honored."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

The nano Monroe tilts it's head to the side as if to study her. "We have been watching you for quite some time."

"Why?"

It steps closer, moving slowly but deliberately, like a hunter tracking it's prey. "We can see everything. Every human, every animal, every tiny insect. We can see inside the minds of the human race, each one more corrupt than the last. Your uncle for instance, well that was a very nasty place indeed."

Charlie continues to back away. Her confusion slowly gives way to fear of what this thing could possibly want from her.

"But you, Charlotte, have proven to be an interesting piece. We have tried many times to penetrate your mind but, until recently, found ourselves blocked by an unidentifiable source."

Monroe stops just a few feet from her, but he is no longer recognizable with his eyes glowing bright green and his face set in a state of rage.

"So tell me, Charlotte, was it your imaginary friend? The one you spoke with so often? We were unable to see or hear him, though your side of the conversation was always audible. The two of you appear to have had an intimate relationship. Why has he gone? Was he the one protecting you?"

Charlie swallows thickly, feeling stuck like an animal in a trap. "I don't know," she answers weakly. Which isn't even really a lie.

Monroe grins predatorily. "Yes, you do. We know that he was assisting you, and more than just sexually."

She feels herself blush, embarrassed by the idea that the nano had been listening in on them the entire time.

"What I do is none of your business," Charlie tells it firmly.

It reaches out and wraps Monroe's hand tightly around her throat. "Tell us, Charlotte. Tell us your secrets."

Charlie pulls weakly at the hand around her throat as her lungs start to protest. Her body heaves with the breaths it can't take and her vision starts to blur.

"Your dreams have been of no use to us. Children and flowers! Tell us what we need to know. What is your protector planning?"

Black spots appear at the edges of her vision and her hearing starts to fade. Bass' face, smiling and happy, swims before her eyes.

 _I'm sorry,_ she thinks. _I'm sorry, Bass._

Something loud goes off somewhere around her, but before Charlie can try to process it, everything goes black.

* * *

"Will she be alright?" A man's voice asks.

"I think so, but she'll need time." Another man answers.

Charlie opens her eyes to find Miles and Gene hovering over her. Her grandfather smiles gently. "Don't try to talk, sweetheart. Your throat is swollen, any agitating may cause permanent damage."

She nods to let him know that she understands, then shifts to look at Miles with the silent question in her eyes. He shakes his head sadly.

"I went out looking for you earlier because your mom said she wanted to ask you about something, she said she thought you might know something about Bass turning up like he did. Anyway, when I found you, Bass had you pinned against a tree with a hand around your throat. You were pretty much gone by the time I got there. I yelled, he yelled. We fought. And I..." His voice drops and he looks away from her. "I shot him."

Charlie can see the pain in her uncle's eyes. After all those years of empty threats, he actually had to do it. She grabs his hand and squeezes, silently giving him her support. He looks back at her, his eyes full of confusion this time.

"I shot him," he says again. "And then he _exploded_."

Charlie's eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

"I know, right?" Miles says, nodding in agreement.

"He exploded, and it's not just that it was insane, but it wasn't even a normal explosion. He burst into a cloud of fireflies."

He shakes his head, seemingly unable to comprehend what's going on. "Your mom said that it must have been the nano. Aaron said that fireflies are kinda their thing, whatever that means. I'm just trying to wrap my head around the fact that Bass is dead. Again."

Miles stops and looks at her, somewhat guilty. He obviously hadn't meant to unload all of that on her. "Sorry. I guess I'm just used to you doing all the talking."

That brings a smile out of her.

"Don't worry about any of that crap for now, though. That... _thing_ is gone, so just rest and get better. We can talk about everything else later, OK?"

She nods and Miles kisses her forehead before leaving her alone to rest. He pulls the bedroom door shut behind him, revealing Monroe standing behind it. Charlie sits up quickly, fear overtaking her as she tries to call out for help, her sore throat only croaking in reply. He holds his hands out in front of him in a calming gesture.

"Charlie, it's OK. It's me."

Charlie stares at him, her breath coming in sharp, painful gasps. He looks like Bass and he sounds like Bass, but then again, she's been fooled before. She glares at him suspiciously, but to her surprise, he smiles. It's a big, bright smile, showing all of his perfect teeth, and it warms her heart. She can't help but smile back.

Bass moves slowly to the bed as a few tears slip down her cheeks. He sits on the edge of the bed and reaches out, ghosting his fingertips across her cheek. "It's alright, Charlie. I'm here."

She nods as his fingers slide down the column of her throat, leaving behind a warm trail. She wonders what he's doing, but it becomes clear when the pain in her neck disappears. She takes a deep, experimental breath, and marvels at the fact that there is no pain at all.

"Thank you," she murmers through her tears.

He simply nods, like healing people is a completely normal thing to do, and pulls her close. "I'm so sorry, Charlie. I tried to come back, I really did."

Charlie wraps her arms around him and refuses to let go, deciding to talk into his neck instead. "Then why didn't you? I begged for you to come back." She tries to keep the accusing tone out of her voice, but she thinks some of it might slip through.

"I couldn't," he answers simply. "The only reason I was here in the first place was because you chose me. But when that _thing_ showed up pretending to be me, you changed your mind."

"But I didn't, not really. I didn't want him. I wanted you."

He nods understandingly. "I know that. But _you_ needed to know it before I was allowed to come back." He sighs. "But that's all over now. I'm here, that's what matters."

Charlie leans into him and presses a soft kiss to his lips. "I love you, Bass. Please don't ever leave me again."

He smiles down at her and caresses her cheek. "I'll be here every minute of everyday if that's what you want."

"Yeah, it is."

* * *

A/N So a few of you have mentioned being confused... I think I might be confusing myself to be honest. Lol. I guess if you're still reading this then I'm doing alright though. :-D Leave me a review and let me know what you think!


	6. Chapter 6

Gene and Rachel examine her magically healed throat with suspicious fingers as soon as she's awake the next morning. Charlie waits patiently and turns her head this way and that as they satisfy their curiosity. There's a look in her mother's eyes though, some sort of acussastion that she apparently doesn't want to make in front Grandpa, so she waits until Gene excuses himself to help with breakfast before making it.

"You knew that Bass was the nano." Her voice is soft, but firm, leaving absolutely no room maneuvering around the truth. "How did you know?" She asks, almost eager to find out how Charlie managed to know something she didn't.

Having no intention of telling her mother about her imaginary friend, she shrugs. "I don't know."

"Charlie..." Rachel scolds softly.

She tries to be irritated with her mother for thinking that she can get away with that sort of thing, but then she remembers her mission. She's supposed to help her mom however she can, and unfortunately, playing the good little daughter may be what she's supposed to be doing.

"I'm not really sure," Charlie tells her slowly. Despite the fact that she's supposed to be helping Rachel, she still isn't going to tell her about Bass. "I just... knew."

Rachel nods slowly, seeming to soak the information in. "The day he arrived, from the moment you saw him and realized who he was, you seemed to know something was off. How? I mean, what made you think that?"

Of course, Rachel's a know-it-all, so she wants every little detail.

Charlie hesitates, wanting to help but also needing to keep her secret. "Just the way he talked to me, I guess. He called me Charlotte, too. Bass hadn't called me that for a long time, even before he died."

Rachel's eyes narrow momentarily. "Bass?" She asks lightly, though Charlie can sense the irritation bubbling under the surface. "I didn't realize the two of you had gotten so close."

It occurs to Charlie that Miles must have never shared his suspicions about she and Bass' relationship with her mother. Not wanting to be the one to put her on the scent, she shrugs nonchalantly and gives her a wry smile.

"We weren't close, but he's dead now, so I figure I can call him whatever I want."

Her mother nods, though she gets the impression that she doesn't quite belive her. "Alright then. Just... if we run into anyone else and you think they might be a little off, let us know. OK?"

Charlie nods, putting more enthusiasm in it that she really feels. "I will, I promise."

On the other side of the room, Bass is sitting patiently waiting for them to finish their little chat. He gives Charlie a small smile that's says, _'good job.'_

* * *

She slips into the dream world easily now, happy to find that it's still vivid and beautiful, despite the multiple nightmares she's experienced here. The meadow lies behind her, a blanket of perfect daisies, with the beach set out before her. It's evening here, though it must be almost morning in the real world, and the sun is casting an orange glow over everything. She's walking towards the water, the wind blowing in her hair, when she spots the little boy sitting at the water's edge.

It's the oldest boy again, Charlie scolds herself for not having given him a name yet, and he looks up with a smile as she approaches. They sit side by side and watch the seagulls above the water for a while.

"Where is everyone else?" Charlie asks him.

He shrugs. "They went to the valley with Uncle Danny."

Her heart jumps at the mention of her brother, though she tries to focus on her son. "Why didn't you go with them?" She brushes a few of his curls back from his face, marveling at how identical they are to his father's.

"I knew you would be here," he says simply. "And I wanted to see you."

"Well maybe we can join them now that I'm here," she suggests.

But the boy shakes his head. "It's very far." From the tone of his voice, she gathers that what he really means is _'it doesn't work that way.'_

"Alright," she concedes. Though she's disappointed. She would have loved to see Danny again.

They sit for what feels like a long time, watching the waves move rhythmically against the shore. The boy burries his toes down in the wet sand, giggling when Charlie copies him.

"I love the ocean," he says happily.

Charlie nods in agreement. "Me, too."

* * *

She wakes feeling happy for the first time in a while, she can even feel the smile still plastered on her face.

"Must have been a good dream," Bass murmers, his lips close to hers. Charlie opens her eyes and gives him a quick kiss.

"It was. I was with our son again, the oldest one. We sat on the beach for a while."

He raises his eyebrows sleepily, clearly having just woken up. "That's all it took to get a smile out of you?" He asks with a grin.

Charlie rolls her eyes at him. "No, I'm smiling because I think I know what to name him, now."

"Let's just hope it's better than Meadow," he grumbles.

She shoves him playfully before settling herself next to him and snuggling against his side. "Well if it makes you feel any better, it was either Meadow or Daisy, and I didn't think you'd like the last one."

He wrinkles his nose, then smiles brilliantly. "I love Meadow. I don't think you could have picked a better a name." She rolls her eyes, but he ignores it. "So what about the boy, what's his name going to be?"

Charlie bites back a smile and says, "Shore."

Bass stays silent for a moment, as if he's expecting her to laugh and tell him it's a joke, then sighs when he realizes she's serious. "Shore?" He asks incredulously. "What kind of name is that?"

"What's wrong with it? I think it's a good name!"

Bass sighs, staring up at the ceiling as if it were the one suggesting the name. "I guess I can't change your mind, can I?"

"Nope."

"Alright, fine. We've got Shore and Meadow. I guess we might as well call the middle boy, Water... or Sky."

Charlie laughs loudly, shaking her head.

"No?" Bass continues with a grin. "How about Grass or Rock? Oh, I know, Tree. Or maybe we should go with Leaf."

Charlie stops laughing abruptly and smiles, making Bass shake his head worriedly. "I was joking, Charlie. We're not naming our son Leaf."

She rolls her eyes at him. "No, no. I was just thinking that... Forrest is a good name."

"Shore, Forrest, and Meadow." Bass stays quiet as he thinks them over. "Well, at least we don't have to send them to school or anything. I can't imagine the shit kids would give them over those names."

"Right, because Sebastian and Charlotte were such better choices."

Bass opens his mouth to defend his own name, only to shut it again a moment later. "Yeah, I guess our kids were pretty much doomed from the beginning."

Nodding in agreement, Charlie settles herself back down on his chest, smiling happily. "I love you," she tells him quietly.

"Love you, too."

* * *

The weather is finally clearing, but the road to Idaho hasn't gotten any shorter. According to Miles, they still have at least another two weeks before they cross the border, then another four or five days to make it to Bradbury.

He has asked several times about why Nano Monroe was attacking her, but Charlie still hasn't told him. It's not that she doesn't trust Miles, she does, it's just that she doesn't think Bass wants him to know about their mission. He hasn't specifically told her that their job is a secret, but she kind of gets the feeling that it is. Especially since Nano Monroe was planning to kill her over it.

Rachel has been more subtle with her attempts to wheedle the information out of her. Since Bass still hasn't told her whether or not she's allowed to talk about their mission, Charlie's been keeping to the bare minimum details. She told them that Nano Monroe found out that she knew what he really was and attempted to kill her in order to keep it a secret. Which she figures is only slightly a lie, because for all she knows, that may have been just another reason behind his attempt.

Everyone is a little shaken up by the recent events. With Monroe turning out to be a psychotic, artificial intelligence and Charlie being magically healed, again, they're all worried about what horror or insanity might be next.

* * *

The pond draws her attention as soon as her feet are planted on the ground. She sits at the water's edge, dipping her fingers in the cool, clear water. As she sits, she wonders about the children. The last time she was here, Shore had mentioned that Forrest and Meadow had gone to the valley with Danny. Charlie looks around her, in the opposite direction of the beach, towards what looks like an endless field of flowers. She wonders if the valley is far from here, and if she would get there in time to see Danny again.

"Don't bother," says a voice behind her.

Charlie turns around to find Danny standing behind her, smiling.

"Danny!" She launches herself to her feet and embraces him. "What are you doing here?"

He shrugs. "Shore said you might like to see me."

Nodding, Charlie hugs him again. "I did, I do." Then her brain picks up on the first thing he said. "What do you mean, don't bother? And how do you even know what I was thinking?"

He raises his eyebrows at her amusedly. "Because you're my sister and I know how much you like valleys."

"Good hunting ground," she says automatically, causing him to smirk. She rolls her eyes at him. "Then why tell me not to bother?"

His smirk falls and his face changes into something more reserved, almost sad. "Because you can't go there."

"Why not?"

Danny sighs, but seems to know that she won't just let the question drop, so he settles himself down on the grass beside the pond and waits for her to join him before he begins to explain.

"You can't go there, because you aren't actually here." He holds his hand up in the air to stop her from interrupting with questions. "By here, I mean this place. The beach, the meadow, the pond, they're all real. This is a real place. It goes on for miles and miles, much farther than just the meadow."

"Well, where is it?" Charlie asks hopefully, her mind suddenly full of ideas of rescuing Bass, the kids, and Danny from this place.

Danny smiles as if he knows exactly what she's thinking. "It doesn't work that way, so don't waste your brainpower trying to figure out how to rescue us. We're dead, there's no changing that. What I mean, is that for us - me, the kids, Bass - this is real, it's home now. Home for the lost and forgotten. I guess some religious people might call it heaven."

"We were never religious," Charlie says.

"No, that's why I just call it home... Anyway, this moment right now, us sitting here, isn't actually us sitting here. You're just dreaming about being here, because you've visited once before."

Understanding pushes at the edge of her mind as Charlie tries to make sense of this. "The day Bass died, and I almost did. I was actually here for that."

"Yes. But now you're just dreaming about being here. That's why you can only see the beach, the meadow, and the pond, because those are the only places you visited while you were here. But in reality, the meadow goes on for a few more miles, then turns into the valley, then the river, the forest, and then the mountains. That's where Dad and Maggie live." At Charlie's look of surprise he smiles and says, "they like the view."

"Dad's here?" She asks hopefully.

Danny nods, but frowns slightly. "He is, but you can't see him, Charlie."

She nods in understanding. "Because I didn't see him the first time I was here."

"Yes. But he did ask me to tell you something. He said, 'tell her I have faith in her, and that she just needs to belive in herself.'"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Danny chuckles. "I was hoping you could tell me. I asked him about it, but he just told me to mind my own business."

Charlie thinks about her dad, sitting up high somewhere on a mountain while he's looking over her. The idea that he has complete faith in her gives her hope for herself, and her mission.

Everything that Danny's told her settles hesitantly in her mind, causing another question to rise. "So if this just a dream, then does that mean that you aren't really here?"

Danny gives a little shake of his head, the look of his face making it clear that he has no idea how to explain the complexities of the afterlife to her. Finally, he says, "no, I'm really here with you. Me and the kids can visit you, but only when you're sleeping. For some reason, Bass gets special privileges."

Charlie can't miss the obvious envy in Danny voice, and laughs at him. "If it makes you feel any better, Bass doesn't seem to like it much. I'm the only person that can see him, so he spends most of his days either following me around or trying, and failing, to talk to Miles."

Danny grins. "OK, it makes me feel a little better."

It feels so foreign but so familiar to sit and joke with him. It's been three years since their lives were ripped apart and a little over two since Danny was ripped from the world. God, how she's missed him. Charlie grabs his hand and gives it a squeeze, smiling sadly. Danny squeezes back and leans over to kiss her cheek.

"I've missed you," she tells him quietly.

"I know. I've missed you, too."

They sit quietly for a while, hand in hand, watching the daisies blow in the wind and the surface of the pond ripple. Charlie lays her head on his shoulder and admires the way the sun reflects off of his pale skin and long, blonde eyelashes. As she looks, she realizes that the scar on his chin, from when he'd fallen off a rusty swing as a child, is gone. She reaches up and runs her thumb along the smooth skin.

"The scar is gone."

Danny nods. "And not just that one." He holds up his left hand and shows her his palm. He'd cut himself trying to help her clean a squirrel when he was about twelve, Maggie had had to put in ten stitches and it left a nasty scar right across the middle of his hand. But now the skin it perfect and clear.

Charlie can't help but chuckle a little. "I'm starting to feel like I got the losing end of this deal."

Rolling his eyes, Danny shoves her playfully. "Well at least you're alive."

It was meant to be a joke, but instead it makes Charlie want to cry. "That's not funny, Danny."

His smile drops and he reaches out to pull her hands into his lap. He traces every scar on her battle hardened hands, frowning at the marred skin. "It true, though." He says, his voice heavy. "It's better that you're alive. I never would have made it as far as you have."

Charlie scoffs, feeling tears prickling in her eyes. "Yeah, look how far I've come," she says sarcastically. But Danny simply glares at her.

"You have come far! Look at all the good you've done."

"Danny, I've killed so many people that I stopped counting. That's nothing to be proud of."

"You sound just like Dad. Of course killing people isn't something to be proud of, but you are alive, which is something to celebrate." He sighs and shakes his head at her. "You've helped Miles be a better man, you're helping Mom right now even though you can't stand her, and you turned the most hated man in North America into a cuddly little kitten."

"Bass isn't a cuddly kitten. Actually, he'd probably kill you if he knew you'd said that."

"He doesn't scare me anymore. Just like he never scared you. Even in Philadelphia, when you had a gun pointed right at your head, you stared him down. I guess that's probably why he fell in love with you."

Charlie huffs at him, though has nothing to say. To be honest, _when_ Bass had fallen in love with her isn't something she's really thought about.

"That's... none of that matters. You didn't have to die, it should have been me."

"No." Danny cups her cheeks in both of his hands and forces her to look at him. "You are alive for a reason, Charlie. Miles, Mom, Bass. They all need you, not me."

"Mom wanted you." She can't even keep the bitterness out of her voice.

Danny doesn't try to contradict what they both know to be the truth. "But what about Miles and Bass? I don't think that either of them would have been half as affected by me as they are by you."

Charlie considers this. Her relationship with Miles borders on father-daughter, and she honestly doubts that Danny would have ever let Miles - the drunk, sarcastic, killer - ever get that close to him. And Bass. Well, there's no way he and Danny would have ever been as close as she is with him.

Danny smiles as he watches her realization fall into place. "See? Everything happens for a reason, Charlie. Everyone has a purpose."

After spending so much time punishing herself over Danny's death, Charlie can almost feel the literal weight of it lifting off her shoulders. Of course Danny doesn't blame her. Of course Rachel cares about her, in her own way. Of course Miles loves her. Of course Bass needs her.

She takes a deep breath, smiling as she does so, and wraps her arms around her baby brother. "I love you so much," she whispers. He gives her a gentle squeeze, then releases her and gets to his feet, offering her his hand to help her up. Charlie let's him pull her to her feet, her eyes suddenly drawn to his right arm.

"What is that?" She grabs his wrist and turns it so the inside of his arm is facing upwards. There's a bright red mark on his forearm, about an inch long.

Danny looks down at it and shrugs. "No clue, it's been there since the day I got here."

Charlie pokes and prods at the mark gently, eventually coming to the conclusion that the mark is from a cut. It's a scar that never healed like the others.

"Where did you get this cut?" She asks him.

"I don't know," he says slowly. "I don't remember it."

Charlie continues to poke at it, though it obviously can't tell her what happened. "I don't remember you having this cut when I got to Philadelphia, and I looked you over like ten times to make sure you were alright."

"Maybe I got during the battle, before the helicopters showed up."

Frowning, Charlie grabs the hem of Danny's cotton shirt and pulls it up to examine his chest. The skin there is as clear and perfect as the rest of him, not a single bullet hole where the choppers nearly cut him in half. She lets go of his shirt, still frowning at the mark on his arm.

"Why would all of your other scars be healed, but not this one?"

He stares down at the mark on his arm for a moment, then shakes his head. "I have no idea."

* * *

It's late in the morning when she wakes, the winter sun is only just now rising, and Charlie feels much less happy this morning then she has been lately.

"Bad dream?" Bass asks, as is his new habit whenever she wakes.

"No, it was good. I got to spend some time with Danny." But something in her face or her voice must give her away, because he's giving her a skeptical look. Charlie sighs, giving in way too easily. She blames it on his adorable puppy dog eyes, and explains the mark she discovered on Danny's arm. He listens intently throughout the whole story, frowning when she finishes. Then he lifts his own arms from beneath the blanket to examine them, shaking his head at the lack of scars.

"I thought that maybe I had a scar on my arm, too," he explains. "That maybe it was a dead guy thing."

The word 'dead' sticks hard into her brain and Charlie sits up quickly. "He doesn't have any of the scars he got while he was alive... What if that cut is something that happened _after_ he died."

"OK," Bass says slowly. "But why would someone cut up a dead body, and why in such a weird place?"

Charlie shrugs, a little bit of guilt stirring inside her. "I don't know, but... it's the only time that I can think of where someone could have cut him without me noticing. After he died, I just... I couldn't even look at him. Miles helped me dig the grave, but I made him cover Danny up before we... you know. Someone could have easily done it without the rest of us even knowing."

"But why, though? Why would someone cut up a dead kid?" Bass asks confusedly. They lay in bed together a while longer, both of them silently puzzling over the mysterious scar on Danny's arm.

* * *

With her father's faith firmly placed in her, Charlie begins making more of an effort with Rachel. His message echos in her mind every time Rachel irritates her, so she holds back and smiles, trying her very best to get along with her mother, since she knows her dad would want her too.

Given this new openness between them, Charlie decides to ask her mother about Danny. Not the boy himself, but his body. Despite her own reluctance to view the body of her dead baby brother, Rachel hadn't seemed against it, so she's hoping that maybe she noticed the cut on his arm prior to his burial.

"Why would ask me that, Charlie?" Rachel asks, looking horrified.

"Just... curiosity, I guess." She lies. The look on Rachel's face doesn't change though, so she decides to exaggerate her guilt a little. "It's just... I didn't even really say goodbye, so I was just wondering... how he looked." She knows that this is going horribly and mentally slaps herself for not thinking this though before approaching her mom.

"I mean... I don't know. I just want to know that he was, that his body, was treated with respect. No one messed with it, right?"

Something flashes in Rachel's eyes, it's just a flicker, but Charlie is almost certain that she sees guilt in her mother's eyes before she covers it up with a smile. "Of course, sweetheart. There's no way I would let anyone hurt him."

Charlie nods in understanding and even let's herself give Rachel a hug, but as she walks away, she can't help the dread that settles in her gut or the distrust building there.

' _There's no way I would let anyone hurt him,'_ Rachel's voice says in her head.

 _No,_ Charlie thinks. _But what about you?_

* * *

A/N Man, this chapter really kicked my butt. I'm actually pretty happy with how it turned out though. (The names for the kids are kinda my favorite. :-D) Let me know what you think if you have a second, and huge thanks to those of you that have been taking the time to read and review. You're awesome!


	7. Chapter 7

There are birds singing outside and sunlight is streaming down on her face though the bedroom window. The scent of baking bread wafts throughout the house. Without opening her eyes, Charlie knows that she is home. Home as in, Wisconsin. The sounds of the other villagers going about their daily lives is familiar, but distantly.

 _Distantly_ , Charlie thinks as she lays in bed. _This must be a dream._

She wanders through the house quietly, finding Danny's room just as sparse and messy as she remembers, as well as Dad and Maggie's room, neat and tidy. She follows her nose into the kitchen and is further convinced that this has to be a dream, because her dad is standing there at the counter cutting up fruit for breakfast. She notices the black cord around his neck and vaguely wonders if he'd always worn the pendant and she just simply never noticed.

This isn't the dream world she's grown used to over the past few weeks, where she can have real conversations with the dead. It's just a regular dream, but she plans to spend time with her dad nonetheless. Ben smiles as she approaches the counter and slides a bowl of fruit her way. "Morning, sleepy head." He gives her a quick kiss on the forehead then turns and goes about his daily duties in the kitchen as if this is just another day in Sylvania Estates.

The urge to cry is almost overwhelming, but then the dream world shifts and she's standing on Aaron's front porch watching as he tries to explain photosynthesis to a group of children. She can see Maggie in the distance working diligently on her herb garden, their village's only source of medical care. Charlie is suddenly struck by how awful she was to Maggie for all those years and approaches her stepmother with the intention of apologizing, even if this is just a dream.

"Maggie," she says, her voice almost breathless.

Maggie's eyebrows crease in concern as she turns to look at her. "What's the matter, love?" Then her eyes go wide. "Oh, Charlie, what happened?" Maggie rushes forward and grabs her right arm, trying desperately to stop the blood pouring from it.

Charlie stares at her bleeding arm in shock as Maggie pulls her quickly back home and deposits her on the couch. Then she goes about finding her medical and begins cleaning up her arm.

"What happened?" Maggie asks again.

"Uh..."

"Hey, stay with me Charlie. Tell me what happened. How did you cut your arm?"

Then suddenly the dream shifts again. Not completely this time, though. Charlie is still sitting on the couch while Maggie cleans her bloody arm, but now her dad is back, and not just him, but Mom as well. They're huddled together in the kitchen arguing in hushed voices. Maggie seems oblivious to their presence.

"Charlie, listen to me," Maggie says firmly. "You've lost a lot of blood, but you have to stay with me. Now what happened to your arm? How did you get cut?"

Charlie tries to remember, but her attention keeps getting ripped away by her parents arguing in the kitchen.

"We can't do it, Ben. We can't lose him." Rachel tells him angrily.

"Well, we can't just sit back and do nothing," he snaps back.

Rachel storms out of the house without another word, unnoticed by Maggie and without noticing her. Charlie looks back down at her stepmother.

"Good girl. Tell me how you cut your arm," she says gently as she mops up the last of the blood.

"I don't know," Charlie says slowly. Then she looks down at her arm. There's a small cut on her forearm that's about an inch long. She's seen this cut before, but it was on Danny's arm, not hers. Charlie is seconds away from telling Maggie just that when bright green fireflies come swarming out of the cut. The bugs land on her arm, covering it in a disturbing, moving sleeve, then they start to move up her arm. They cover her elbow, then her shoulder. Panic sets in, and Charlie tries to run from the creepy insects, but they're too quick. Before she knows it, they're in her mouth, up her nose, and crawling into her eyes. She wants to vomit, sneeze, and cry all at the same time.

* * *

Charlie wakes with a start, her hands grabbing at her face as if to shoo away the fireflies invading it, but there's nothing there. She glances down at her arm and sighs with relief because there isn't a drop of blood in sight.

 _It was just a dream,_ she tells herself.

The house they are staying in for the night is large but also completely empty, so tonight her bed is just blankets laid out on the floor in a spacious bedroom. She rolls over seeking Bass' warmth and comfort, though his side of their sorry excuse for a bed is empty. Charlie sighs, annoyed by his absence, and shifts to make herself comfortable. It's still late so she's hoping that she'll be able to get some sleep before they start out again tomorrow.

She finally drifts off again, her mind jumbled by the sounds of her parents angry voices and the feel of insects crawling on her skin.

* * *

The snow has finally melted to nothing but mush and the roads are now not only passable, but manageable. Miles plans to push the horses as much as they can today so they can cover as much ground as possible in case the weather decides to turn again.

They're trudging along an old interstate at a good pace as the sun beats down overhead. Despite the chilly weather, Charlie finds herself sweating under her many layers. They're travelling on a bridge over a wide, rushing river and she leans over the side to look into the clear water. Down below she can see the fish swimming in lazy circles.

"Hey, Miles."

He twists around in his seat up front to look at her. "What?"

"We should stop for lunch," she tells him.

He rolls his eyes, turning his attention back to the horses and the road. "We're making good time, we need to keep going."

"But the river," she protests. "It's full of fish!"

The word 'fish' causes everyone else in the wagon to perk up a little. They've been surviving off of old jerky and stale bread for almost two weeks. Everyone wants some fresh meat.

"Maybe we could stop for just a little while," Aaron suggests while Priscilla and Gene nod in agreement. Miles sighs and pulls the wagon off the road as soon as they've crossed over the bridge, parking it next to an old, overturned semi trailer with it's back hanging wide open.

Charlie wastes no time in stripping out of her boots and socks near the water's edge, rolling up her jeans around her calf so she can wade into the freezing water. With no net or fishing pole, she uses an arrow as a spear and gets straight to work while the others get a fire going and get the horses settled. About half an hour later, she's got eight fish tied around her waist and since she can no longer feel her toes, decides that is more than enough.

Gene and Priscilla take care of cleaning the fish while she warms her feet by the fire. Bass has made his reappearance over by the horses. She doesn't know why, but he seems to spend a lot of time talking to the animals. She watches Rachel climb her way out of the back of the semi, apparently having gone scavenging through its contents, with nothing to show for it.

Her mother hasn't said a word about their conversation about Danny. In fact, she's been acting like it never even happened. Which of course has only caused Charlie to grow more suspicious of her. She absent mindedly rubs the spot on her forearm where Danny's unexplained scar is, wondering if Rachel really could be responsible for harming her own son.

"Hey, you OK, kiddo?" Aaron's voice drags her back to reality and she smiles at him.

"Never better. Why, what's up?"

He gives her a knowing look and sits down, pretending to busy himself with the fire to buy himself some time. "I know you, Charlie." He says when he finally sits back. "Something is bugging you."

She nods, unable to even deny the jumbled thoughts in her head.

"Is it your mom again?" He asks quietly.

Charlie looks at him with surprised eyes, but Aaron merely shrugs. "You've been glaring at her all day. What's going on?"

She chuckles humorlessly. _What isn't going on?_

She rubs at the spot on her forearm again, this time thinking of the blood pouring from her arm in the dream, and of Maggie trying to fix it while her parents fought. It occurs to her that the idea of Mom and Dad fighting is foreign, but familiar. In the years after Rachel's 'death', it seems that Charlie had let herself forget about all the bad things and focused instead on the loving mother she had really only encountered a handful of times. Years later, and now with a more objective view, she remembers how much her parents used to fight. How often they would sit in silence and glare daggers at each other over the campfire. She remembers now, just how unhappy her parents had been back then.

"Mom and Dad... they used to fight all the time." She looks over at Aaron's confused face. "You were always around because you were Dad's best friend. Do remember them fighting?"

Aaron hesitates for a second, but eventually nods. "They never argued when I was around, but I could always feel the tension when they'd been fighting."

"Why, though? Were they really that unhappy together?"

"Ben didn't like to talk about it, so I didn't push." At Charlie's disappointed look, he adds, "But I always got the feeling that it wasn't about them. Them as a couple, I mean. It always seemed like there was more to it."

' _We can't do it, Ben. We can't lose him.'_ Rachel's words from the dream echo in her head. Suddenly, she knows that while it was just a dream, parts of it were also memories, and that specific conversation between her parents took place at some point. That makes Charlie wonder who her mother was so unwilling to lose.

 _Danny,_ she thinks.

Of course. It was always Danny. He was the favorite.

' _We can't do it, Ben.'_

Do what, though? What was Rachel so unprepared to do in order to keep her son?

"What are you thinking, Charlie?" Aaron asks, keeping a close eye on her face. She glances back at him, having forgotten that he was even there. Out of the corner of her eye, Charlie watches her mother rest against the side of the semi trailer as Miles leans in for a quick kiss. It's sweet, sure, but it makes her stomach churn so she looks away. She tries to think of a time when her mom and dad had been that way together, but comes up empty.

Angry, distant, and bitter. Those are the things she associates with their marriage in her mind. But protective also. Always protective. Of Danny, of Aaron, even that damned pendant.

The pendant.

Everything suddenly starts falling into place like a puzzle. Ben and Rachel were protective of Aaron and the pendant because they both had something to do with the power. But what about Danny? Was he somehow connected to the power as well?

"Danny didn't know anything about the power or the nano," she says, causing Aaron to look at her in shock.

"I never said he did," Aaron says slowly.

"Then what does Danny have to do with the nano? How can he have been involved in something he didn't even understand?"

Aaron gives her a worried look. "Charlie, I don't know what's going on, but you're worrying me."

"You should be worried," she whispers harshly. "My mom is hiding something. Something deadly and dangerous that has to do with the nano and Danny."

"How do you know?" He whispers back.

"I don't know!" She says angrily, rubbing at the spot on her arm again. Aaron looks down at her forearm where she's apparently trying to scratch off her skin.

"Why do you keep doing that?"

"Doing what?" She asks, not paying him much attention due to the fact that her arm is so itchy.

"Touching your arm like you think there's something there."

Charlie continues to scratch her arm, though she wonders if it actually is itchy or if it's just her imagination. "I don't know," she grinds out, continuing to scratch the skin raw.

"Stop it." Aaron grabs her wrist and pulls it into his lap. "You're gonna hurt yourself." He looks down at the angry red skin and gently touches it with a finger. "There's nothing here, Charlie. Not even a rash."

She wiggles in her seat as the urge to tear her arm away from him and continue to scratch tries to take over. "But it's so itchy," she whines. "It's like there's something in there." She thinks of her dream and the fireflies crawling out of her arm. Panic and fear take over, and Charlie does the only thing she can think of at that moment to get the bugs out. She rips her arm away from Aaron and grabs her knife, slashing a deep gash in her forearm where the source of the itching is coming from.

"Charlie!" Someone shouts, but she isn't listening. A primal sort of fear has taken over and all she can think about is getting rid of the bugs she is absolutely certain are in her arm. She claws at the gash with desperate fingers as blood pours from her veins, warm and squishy on her hands, until it isn't.

Cold. There's something cold in there.

Someone rips her searching fingers away before she can get a grip on the cold thing and a hand clamps down over her arm to prevent her from losing anymore blood. There's a lot of yelling going on around her, but it all fades away as the loss of blood causes her to black out.

* * *

"Mommy, you hurt yourself." The small voice she wakes up to is unfamiliar, though she suspects who it belongs to before she even opens her eyes.

Sure enough, when she opens them, it's Forrest. Of the three children, he's the only one she hasn't spent any time with yet. He smiles down at her sadly, obviously confused by her bizarre behavior.

"No, I... I'm alright, sweetie. I was just... scared for a minute."

He continues to stare at her, his pale blue eyes boring into her soul. "What happened?"

Charlie gives him a sad smile, stroking her fingers through his dark, wavy hair. "It's nothing. You don't need to worry. I'll take care of it."

Forrest nods. "Daddy was really scared."

Sighing, Charlie pulls him in for a hug. The idea that Bass was afraid enough for Forrest to have noticed make her feel guilty, especially since she obviously caused it. As she holds her son, Charlie looks over his shoulder at her arm. The skin is clean and clear, but now she knows that something lies just beneath the surface.

* * *

They've got her resting in the cover of the semi trailer. She can feel the cool metal beneath her. It's almost fully dark outside, and she is all alone. There's a dull throb emanating from her right arm, beating perfectly in time with her heart. Charlie lifts her arm above the blanket draped over her and inspects the discolored bandage secured around it. A bit of blood has begun to soak through, which means that Grandpa must be getting ready to change it again.

Her head feels a little fuzzy, she blames it on the blood loss, so she clumsily pulls the bandage off her arm in order to inspect the jagged cut that's been sewn back together. Fourteen stitches. Charlie pokes at the thread holding her flesh together, causing her raw skin to burn and her eyes water. She remembers the feel of the tiny, cold thing against her fingertips and wonders if maybe Grandpa removed it. She would very much like to see whatever it was.

Luckily, he enters the semi trailer just moments later. When he realizes she's awake, he sighs with relief. "I thought we'd lost you, again."

Charlie shakes her head. "Guess I'm stubborn."

He smiles weakly. "So are you going to tell me what the hell you thought you were doing?" He asks, looking down at her unbandaged arm.

"I was trying to get it out," she tells him calmly, much more so than she feels. "Did you get it?"

"Did I get what?" Judging by the look on his face, Gene doesn't have the slightest idea what she's talking about.

"The thing in my arm," she says quickly as panic starts to take over once again. "We have to get it out."

Gene grabs her hands to restrain her before she can do anymore damage, his face a mixture of fear and concern. "Calm down, Charlie. There's nothing in your arm."

"Yes there is!" She shouts, struggling against him.

Gene ignores her delusional ramblings and yells over his shoulder. "Miles! Get in here!"

Her uncle appears by his side only seconds later, his chest heaving as if he's out of breath. "What's wrong with her?" He asks as she continues to thrash against Gene.

"I don't know, just hold her down!"

Miles grips her arms tight and holds her in place. Charlie opens her mouth to tell him that something is wrong. Wrong with her arm, wrong with her head, wrong with her mother. But it's too late. She feels a sharp jab in the neck and passes out.

* * *

She wakes up on the couch in her home, in Sylvania Estates. The smell of baking bread fills the house, the sound of her father puttering around the kitchen fills her ears. She sits up on the couch, surprised when he comes to her with a cup of hot tea with honey.

"You need to rest, sweetheart." He says kindly. "It's been a hard day for you."

Charlie watches her dad go back to the kitchen, but the delicious scent of the tea pulls her attention. She takes a long sip, savoring the sweet flavor on her tongue. Ben maneuvers around the kitchen as if everything is perfectly normal while she sits and stares.

"Daddy?" She asks quietly. The tone of her own voice surprises her. It sounds young and small. Charlie looks down at her hands, finding them uncharacteristically tiny. There's also a bandage wrapped around her right arm.

"What's the matter, sweetheart?" Ben comes back to the living room and gives her a bowl of hot soup. "I told you, honey. You need to rest."

This feels strange and wrong. He's looking at her like she's a child, but she isn't a little girl anymore. Or is she? Charlie jumps to her feet and runs to stand in front of the cracked mirror next to the fireplace. Sure enough, little Charlie Matheson stares back at her. The girl in the mirror looks no more than seven, and she's incredibly pale.

"Daddy, what happened?"

Ben steers her tiny form back to the couch and sits her down, but refuses to answer any questions until she's had some of her soup. Charlie gulps it down, scalding her tongue a little, but she doesn't care. There are answers waiting to be heard. The bandage on her arm, for starters.

"What happened to my arm?" She asks her father firmly.

He sighs, almost guiltily, and takes her tiny hands in his. "I told you, sweetheart, it's hard to explain. But someday, there will come a time when you need protection. The kind of protection that no gun can give." He gently traces his fingers over the bandage where her cut is now healing. "This will protect you. Trust it, and trust yourself."

"What do you mean?" Charlie asks, starting to feel more like her adult self.

"I can't say. Just promise me you will never take it out."

"Take what out?"

"Promise me," he says harshly.

Charlie nods. "OK, Daddy." She looks up into her father's face. He's worn and broken from the time spent trying to survive, but his eyes are still bright with love for his daughter. She thinks about her mother, and how she rarely recieves those sort of looks from her no matter how hard she tries.

"What about Mommy? Does she have protection, too?"

Ben stays silent for a moment. "Of course she does, honey," he says quickly. "But it's super-top secret, so we can't talk with her about this. Alright? Promise me."

"Dont worry, Daddy. I can keep a secret."

* * *

Charlie wakes in the semi trailer again. Her head is spinning from whatever Grandpa gave her to make her sleep. But she feels much better now, though. It's very dark out, which means she's either been asleep for a few hours or at least a day, probably more than a day judging by her stiff limbs. She stretches out her legs and arms, wincing at the pull of the stitches in her right.

' _Promise me you will never take it out.'_

She remembers that day... It was so long ago, though. Mom had gone out for a few hours to look for supplies, leaving Dad with her and Danny. Danny had had another asthma attack that morning and was resting. She remembers her dad sitting her down on the couch in that dirty, abandoned house. He'd apologized again and again right before he dipped his knife in some funny smelling drink and put the blade over a flame. Then he'd cut her open. She doesn't remember the what or why, though. The pain it caused, mixed with her young age and all the time that has passed since then, has clouded the memory.

' _Promise me you will never take it out.'_ He'd said.

 _Sorry, Dad,_ Charlie thinks. _But I was never the obedient one._

Charlie tears away the new bandage Grandpa's put over her arm and pulls her pocket knife out of her jeans. She acts before she can hesitate, slicing through the neat stitches. The pain is dulled by her own determination. She grits her teeth and shoves her fingers into the tender wound to search for this thing. This so called 'protection.'

She finally finds it and yanks the slippery, cold thing from her arm. For a moment, she is stunned. Blood loss, or no. Crazy or sane. This tiny, plastic thing is the answer to all of her questions.

Charlie drags herself to her feet and staggers out of the semi trailer right into the circle of her family around the fire. They all look up as she stumbles towards them, once again covered in blood. Miles and Gene rush to her, but they both stop when they see the thing she's holding in her hand.

"Is that...?" Gene starts.

"What the fuck," Miles breaths.

Because the tiny, plastic thing she pulled out of her arm is blinking. The artificial light is bright and steady in the darkness.

"Charlie," Rachel says in a low voice. "Where did you get that?"

Aaron hurries over and looks down at the blinking light in her hand. "Oh my God, how did you get Rachel's capsule?"


	8. Chapter 8

A/N Just a reminder that I'm not a scientist or a computer geek (no offense to anyone that is.) So anything that sounds like it's meant to be scientifical is complete BS on my part, lol. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

* * *

The shock of this blinking, little light in her hand leaves Charlie speechless. Miles, Gene, and Aaron are crowded around her with Rachel and Priscilla hovering just behind.

" _Rachel's what?"_ Miles says, his voice low and dangerous.

Aaron looks between Miles and Rachel uncertainly. "Rachel," he says slowly. "That's her capsule. She used it to heal her leg."

Miles raises his eyebrows at this poor explanation and turns to Rachel, his eyes both seeking and demanding answers. Gene, while curious, seems more concerned with Charlie's arm, which is now once again gushing blood. He sighs and pulls her toward the fire, sits her down, and gets to work stitching it up again. The others follow and settle in around them. Charlie sends Bass a weak smile as he sits down beside Aaron, the larger man non the wiser.

"Capsule." Miles says simply, his eyes on her mother. "Explain."

Rachel sighs and shakes her head. "It's complicated. You wouldn't understand."

"Then dumb it down for me Rach, 'cause I would really like to know what the hell is going on."

She bristles at his condescending tone, but starts to explain anyway. "The capsules were developed as a side project with the nano. The nanites were designed to absorb electricity and the capsules were designed to wield it."

As Rachel speaks, the only movement around the fire are Gene's hands while they work.

"So the capsules use the power to heal people?" Aaron asks.

"Yes, and no. It's not that simple." She says.

"Rachel," Miles warns in a low voice.

"Just let me explain," she snaps back. They all remain quiet and wait. "Yes, they make you better, but you aren't 'healed' so to speak." Rachel sighs in resignation. "We created the capsules for the terminally ill. In theory, whenever the government used the nanites, the capsules would rapidly heal the diseased cells in a person's body. But it was only a temporary fix. Whenever the nanites were shut off, the power to the capsules was cut and the diseased cells would start to deteriorate again. By doing this, a terminally ill patient's life could be extended."

Charlie stares at her mother, her pale face illuminated in the flames of the fire, and finally understands. "Danny," she says softly. "He had a capsule because he was so sick."

Rachel nods as a sheen of tears form in her eyes. "It was just supposed to be temporary. We had tried so may treatments and experimental drugs, but none of them worked. The capsule was just supposed to help keep him alive until medical advancements came up with a way to cure him."

"But then the blackout happened," Miles says for her.

"Yes. And after that, I knew if the nanites were ever shut off, Danny would die. Not immediately, but his lungs would have slowly started to deteriorate again and I would have lost him."

"Which is why you refused to turn on the power for Bass," Charlie says.

Rachel nods. "I couldn't lose my son."

Charlie glares at her mother across the fire. "But it was OK to lose me? You were going to let Bass kill me just to keep the power off." Her voice rises angrily. "You were going to sacrifice me to save Danny!"

Tears fall from Rachel's eyes. "But I didn't, I built the amplifier for Bass."

"But you _almost_ didn't," Charlie acuses her. "You thought about letting me die."

Her mother's voice comes out soft, but firm. "Yes. I did."

Silence falls as the tears run down Charlie's cheeks. Bass moves around the fire to sit next to her, silent, strong, and supportive by her side. Aaron finally breaks the awkward silence around the fire.

"Is that how Charlie survived after she lost her kidney? You put your capsule in her?"

At this, Rachel's face turns back into her impossible mask of indifference. "No, my capsule is still in my leg. I have no idea where that one came from." She nods to the blinking light sitting in Charlie's lap as Gene finishes up the last stitch in her arm.

"Dad put it there. He said that it would protect me. What did he mean by that?" She looks to her mother, who furrows her eyebrows, deep in thought.

"I have no idea. It doesn't make any sense."

The answer irritates Charlie. "What do you mean you don't know? Was I sick too? Is that why he said I needed it?"

"No! You were a perfectly healthy child. There's no medical reason for you to have one."

"Medical reason?" Priscilla asks. "You mean the capsules have other functions?"

Rachel shrugs. "I suppose so, as long as you know how to program them."

"What kind of protection could that little blinking thing give her?" Miles asks as he glares at the tiny thing. It almost seems like he's offended by the thought that it might be able to protect her more than he could. The thought spurs something in her mind, the memory of Nano Monroe preparing to strangle her to death for information.

 _"But you, Charlotte, have proven to be an interesting piece. We have tried many times to penetrate your mind but, until recently, found ourselves blocked by an unidentifiable source."_

Nano Monroe had accused Bass of being her protector, but what if he hadn't had anything to do with it?

"Mom, the nano told me that they've tried to get into my head before, but that they couldn't because something was protecting it. Could the capsule have been keeping them out?"

Rachel stares at her daughter, though her eyes are unseeing. It's as if she's retreated into the farthest recesses of her brain in search of information. There seems to be a general understanding that no one should interrupt while her mother is thinking, so everyone stays silent.

Slowly, as if unsure of herself, Rachel finally nods. "I suppose the capsule could have been programmed to repel the nanites. That would keep them out of, not only your head, but your entire body."

"Is that even possible?" Aaron asks.

"It would be difficult, but yes. You would have to have detailed knowledge of the nanites structure and their core code, though. Plus, time and access to equipment." Rachel shrugs and looks around at all of them, her eyes finally landing on Charlie. "And Ben had all of those things."

Charlie looks down at the blinking capsule, then at the freshly stitched up cut on her arm. Her father's words float through her mind.

' _Promise me you will never take it out.'_

Despite everything she's done to get the stupid thing out of her arm in the last few hours, Charlie now realizes that that was a mistake.

"Put it back," she says to her grandpa, holding the capsule out to him with one hand and shoving the other injured arm in his face.

"Are you insane?" Gene asks. Which at this point, is a pretty valid question.

"My dad told me to never take it out because it would protect me. Now we need to put it back." Gene looks down at the capsule uncertainly, causing Charlie to huff irritably. "Fine, I'll do it myself," she growls, yanking her arm back from him and preparing to, once again, tear out her stitches.

"Wait!" Gene grabs her wrist and pulls it into his lap. "I will do it, but only because I don't want you messing up your arm again." Charlie shrugs, indifferent to his reasoning as long as it means she gets what she wants.

"So if Ben gave Charlie that capsule, where did the one in your leg come from?" Aaron asks Rachel.

Without having to even stop and consider it, Charlie already knows the answer. "It's was Danny's. She cut it out of him after he died." She glares at her mother, the accusations flowing through her eyes. "Didn't you?"

Rachel has the decency to at least seem bothered by her own behavior, though she offers no apology.

While Gene carefully cuts away two of his perfect sutures to replace the capsule, Bass gives her shoulder a gentle, reassuring squeeze. "You did good, Charlie," he whispers. She's careful not to turn his way, but his words make her smile. For a while, she was starting to worry that she had gone off course from whatever mission she was supposed to be accomplishing, but now she feels like she's right on track.

* * *

"So I had one of those weird light-up things inside me that whole time?" Danny asks as wades through the small pond picking water lilies. Charlie nods. "Damn. How did I not know?"

"Dont feel too bad," she tells her brother with a smile. "I watched Dad put mine in and then forgot all about it. You at least have the excuse of being a baby when they put yours in."

Danny sighs and shakes his head sadly, coming over to drop a handful of flowers in her lap. He plops down next to her and examines the scar on his arm. "That must be why it didn't heal like the rest of my scars. The cut was made after I died, which means I had already been brought here, so it was past the time where it would have been fixed."

"That doesn't make any sense," Charlie laughs.

Danny shrugs. "Nothing our family does makes sense."

Charlie's laughter fades to a chuckle as she rests her head on her brother's shoulder. "Good point."

* * *

As they rest throughout the next day, Charlie is hyper aware of everyone watching her. They all seem afraid that she'll either go crazy and start cutting herself again or erupt in a cloud of murderous fireflies. Bass sticks close, apparently aware that she wouldn't be able to handle all of this unwanted attention without him by her side. His hand on her lower back keeps her steady and grounded. It also keeps her from attempting to claw her mother's eyes out.

For one thing, not only did Rachel lie when Charlie asked her about the cut on Danny's arm, but she had been lying for years and years before that. It makes Charlie wonder if anything her mother has ever told her was true. For another thing, Ben had specifically told little Charlie not to tell her mother about the thing in her arm, so now she's worried that that will come back to bite her in the ass.

The only good thing that Charlie has gotten from this, is now it might be easier to figure out how she is supposed to help her mom defeat the nano. She may not be a scientist, but having a mind that is impenetrable by the nanites may serve some sort of purpose. Charlie has a feeling that her father may have intended it that way.

They are less than a weeks journey from the border into Idaho. Her mom, Aaron, and Priscilla have spent hours of their journey scheming and strategizing how they plan to take the nano down. Charlie thinks that now may be the best time to jump in and figure out what the hell the plan is.

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea, sweetheart," Rachel says sweetly.

"Why not?" Charlie asks, already getting irritated. She can see Aaron and Priscilla already starting to back away from the scene, both of them apparently much smarter than Rachel herself.

"You've clearly been struggling lately, Charlie. If I tried to explain our plan to you, it might set you off again."

A low growl emanates from deep within Charlie's throat. "I'm supposed to be helping you," she grinds out.

Rachel shakes her head. "Charlie, you and Miles can do all the physical stuff, but let me handle this."

"But I'm supposed to help you," Charlie says angrily.

"Sweetheart, what are you talking about?"

Charlie bites her lip. She obviously can't tell Rachel that her imaginary friend told her she's got some secret mission to help destroy the nano, so she decides to tell a simpler version of it.

"I had a dream... about Danny." She waits for her mother to flinch at the mention of him, then continues. "In it, he told me that somehow, I am supposed to help you stop the nano from taking over."

Rachel stares at her, her eyes focused on her face. Then she lets out a breathy laugh. "You had a dream? Honey, people have dreams all the time-"

"-It wasn't like that!" Charlie's anger rises at her mother's refusal to believe her, so she strikes right where she knows it will hurt the most. "How do you think I knew about you cutting up Danny's arm?" Rachel's face turns stoney. "He told me about that, and he told me about the nano. He told me I have to help you, so let me help."

The two women glare at each other, neither one willing to relent. Finally, Rachel huffs and motions for Charlie to sit down. "I'll tell you, but you probably won't understand anyway."

"Try me."

Rachel reaches into her bag and pulls out what appears to be a plastic covered book. "What is that?" Charlie asks.

"It's a computer. Laptop, to be more exact." Then she pulls a pendant from the depths of the bag.

"Where the hell did you get that?"

Rachel shrugs. "Aaron and Priscilla got it from Grace Beaumont. I don't know how, so don't bother asking."

Charlie nods, looking between the necklace and the computer. "So the pendant will make the laptop work?"

"Yes. But before I tell you anything else, you need to know that you can not tell anyone else about what I show you."

"Why not?"

"The nano can see what people are thinking. Obviously, they can't get to you because of your capsule, and I make an effort to keep my brain crowded enough to confuse them, but everyone else is an open book as far as they're concerned. If the nano figures out our plan before we get to Bradbury, we're never going to win this fight."

"But I thought Aaron and Priscilla have been helping you, don't they already know the plan?"

"They know bits and pieces. But even they agree that either of them knowing the whole thing would be dangerous."

"OK, I won't say anything to them."

Rachel nods, seeming somewhat relieved, and picks up the pendant. "We can't talk unless this is turned on. It deactivates the nanites in the area so they can't overhear."

Charlie watches the pendant glow white and the black screen on the laptop slowly come to life. Tiny white letters flash across the screen. She tries to read them and keep up with it, but they go by too fast. It keeps going until the entire screen is full, then the letters at the top dissappear as new ones pop up at the bottom.

"What is that?" Charlie asks her mother. For once, there isn't a single hint of dislike in her voice, only curiosity.

"It's a virus," Rachel says simply. At Charlie's raised eyebrow she elaborates. "Basically what we're trying to do is infect the nano. If we install this virus on one of their main servers, it will trick the nanites into deactivating and shut them down."

"Well that sounds pretty easy," Charlie says. "All we have to do is get to their computers."

Rachel smiles, and for once it isn't meant to be condescending. "It sounds easy, but you have to know that their servers will be heavily guarded. The nano will know as soon as we get too close to the facility and then they'll come after us. We'll have to fight them off just to get inside."

"Inside where? What facility?"

"The Tower wasn't the only command station for the nano. The government didn't want to risk losing control of it if that facility was lost, so they separated the servers into three different places. One of them is in Bradbury."

"Where's the third one?"

"It's tucked away on a military base in Annapolis, Maryland. But even if we could storm a former military base, we couldn't afford to go that way because of the fallout from the bombs dropped on Philadelphia."

"So basically, we have to break into another Tower, while fighting off crazy, nano zombies and put that," she points at all the letters and numbers on the computer screen, "into a bigger computer so we can kill the nano zombies."

Rachel chuckles. "Pretty much. But luckily, we won't have to type the virus in." She pulls a small, metal thing from her bag. "This is a flash drive. The virus has already been saved on it. So all we have to do is plug this into a main server and wait for it to install."

"How long with that take?"

"Anywhere between one and five minutes."

"Five minutes is a long time to fight off some zombies," Charlie says slowly.

Rachel nods in agreement. "I know. But this is the only way."

Charlie sighs. "This is gonna suck."

"Yes, yes it is."

* * *

All three children are waiting for her in the meadow that night. It's the first time she's ever had them all together. Charlie brushes her fingers through Meadow's soft, blonde curls and cups both of the boys' cheeks. "What do you guys want to do?"

All three of them grin up at her, then take off running. "Hey! Where are you going?"

Meadow's squeal of laughter fills the air, spurring Charlie into a sprint. She runs through the field of daisies and chases the children over the small hill that leads down to the pond. Just as she reaches the crest of the hill, she stops. Bass is standing next to the pond laughing and smiling as the children overtake him. They tackle him to the ground, each of them howling with laughter. Charlie approaches the four of them sprawled out on the grass, her eyes focused on Bass.

"What are you doing here?" She asks him. Since the moment she woke up from that first dream, the only place Charlie has seen Bass is in the real world. His sudden appearance in her dreams is a little unsettling.

Bass climbs to his feet with Meadow's arms wrapped around his neck and a boy hanging on each arm. He leans into her, pressing his lips softly against hers. "I'm sorry, I usually let you have time with them by yourself since I can see them whenever I want, but I thought it might be nice for all of us to spend some time together." He pauses, his eyes searching hers. "Is that OK?"

Charlie leans in to kiss him again, touched by his thoughtfulness. "Of course it is."

As a family, the decide to venture back through the meadow and spend some time on the beach. They chase the seagulls off the ground and into the air, leaving deep footprints in the sand. They splash around in the waves, with Meadow clinging ferociously to her father because she can't swim. Shore and Forrest bury Bass under a mountain of sand while Charlie and Meadow look for seashells.

It's the closest to normal that Charlie's been since the militia showed up on her family's doorstep over three years ago. And she never wants it to end.

Bass collapses on the sand as the boys run off back into the water. He props himself up on his hands and shouts, "Don't go too far out!" The boys wave in reply. Charlie stands over him, looking down at his ocean blue eyes and sun kissed skin. She sits down and settles herself between his outstretched legs with her back against his chest. Bass nuzzles her neck and kisses her just below the ear.

"I love you," he whispers.

Charlie sighs contentedly and leans back against him, turning her head so she can kiss his jaw. "Love you, too."

They're interrupted by Meadow's giggle. Charlie grabs the little girl and pulls her into her lap, hugging and kissing her all over her face while she laughs. "I love you, too," Charlie tells her.

Meadow smiles, her own ocean blue eyes shining bright. "I wish you could stay forever, Mommy." Then she lays down, resting her head on Charlie's chest.

Looking around at the beautiful beach and her boys playing in the water, the feel of Meadow in her arms and Bass' warmth at her back, Charlie kisses the top of her daughter's head and murmers, "me too."

* * *

The early morning is sun is rising over the side of the semi trailer that she and Bass are camped next to. His face is glowing with a wide smile as she rolls over to kiss him good morning.

"Did you have a good dream?" He asks knowingly.

"The best," Charlie whispers against his lips.


	9. Chapter 9

Tucked away on a hill far above Bradbury, Charlie and Miles watch the sleepy town for any signs of danger through an old pair of binoculars. So far, the most dangerous thing they've seen is a street light that's fallen over into a puddle of water. The sparks of electricity that keep crackling around it are the perfect warning for them to stay away, though it doesn't seem to bother the nano zombies wandering around town.

"Rachel said if we get any closer than this we could risk the zombies sensing our presence." Miles rolls his eyes even as he says it. "I've always hated sci-fi crap."

Next to him, Charlie smiles. "Well, hopefully this will be over soon. Then we can go back to normal."

Miles sets the binoculars down with a grim expression, turning to look at her with sad eyes. "I don't think there's gonna be any normal after this, Charlie. There are so many of them down there. Without Bass... I don't know if we can handle this."

"Don't say stuff like that, Miles. We can do this, we've been through worse." She looks down at all the zombies wandering through town, her battle trained mind automatically counting how many enemies there are. She makes it past forty-five when a whole new wave of zombies comes out of the creepy ice cream shop with the clown hanging above it. According to her mother, the nano's servers are hidden in a facility beneath the shop. Her heart sinks.

"This is impossible," she whispers.

Miles wraps an arm around her shoulders and kisses the top of her head. "We'll figure something out, kid. We always do."

* * *

"There's no way you and Miles can fight off that many guys, zombies or not." Danny is pacing up and down the beach in front of her while Meadow cuddles by her side. The little girl has been present each night since Charlie dreamt they all spent the day together at the beach. She's being unusually quiet and extra clingy.

"Mommy, do you have to go fight?" She asks in a scared little voice.

Charlie cups her chubby cheeks in her hands and kisses her on the nose. "I wish I didn't have too, baby. But sometimes we don't get to choose. I have to do this so everyone can be happy."

A single tear slides down her daughter's cheek, effectively breaking her heart in two. "Will it make you happy too, Mommy?"

Pulling her close, Charlie wraps her arms around her tightly. "I'm already happy because I have you. As long as you're with me, I'll be happy every single day, no matter where I am."

Meadow snuggles her little head into her neck. "I love you, Mommy."

"I love you, too, baby." Charlie looks up at her little brother over the top of Meadow's head, noticing the deep frown on his face.

"Danny, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing." He shrugs and gives her a half smile before turning his back to her so he can watch the waves crash over the sand.

* * *

"This is impossible!" Miles shoves the map of Bradbury off the table with an angry scowl, scattering the scraps of paper with their half-assed plans on them across the floor. They've been within striking distance of the zombie town for three days and have yet to make their move on the facility housing the nano's servers.

Their current safe house is three miles from the Bradbury town line, though Rachel believes they can get as close as about a mile away before the zombies start noticing their presence. But just to be safe, they've been keeping watch all throughout the day and at night, so they'll be warned if the zombie apocalypse decides to start early.

"There has to be a way," Rachel says determinedly. "We can't just sit back and watch while the nano takes over."

"We won't. But right now the odds aren't looking good for us." Miles says.

Charlie watches the two of them from across the room. Her mother, a woman deadlier than anyone she's ever met, and her uncle, a man who broke an entire nation in his attempts to save it. These people, her family, _her parents_ , are who the world is depending on.

 _Not to mention me,_ she thinks.

The sudden warmth at her side announces Bass' arrival. She looks to him with sad eyes while Miles and Rachel continue to argue over the best way to get inside the ice cream shop.

"Don't worry, you guys will figure this out." He says soothingly.

Charlie peeks over to make sure the other two are still occupied before muttering, "There's no way in. We can't get anywhere near the place without the zombies trying to kill us. This is a suicide mission."

Bass sighs heavily, the action making him appear much older than he is. "You are the bravest woman I've ever met, Charlie. If there's a way, you'll find it." He walks away slowly, as if his feet are troubling to carry him. Charlie briefly wonders why, but is drawn back into the fight with her mom and uncle before she can fully process it.

"Haven't you been using the pendant to block the nanites from seeing what you've got planned to destroy them? Why can't we just use it to block them from seeing us while we sneak inside?" Miles asks.

"Because," Rachel answers in her annoyingly patient voice. "The nano will be able to sense any disturbance the pendant causes. Using it to sneak in would be about the same as sneaking in without it."

"Can't we just distract them?" Charlie asks. "If they can sense where we are, we just need one group to draw the zombies away from the ice cream shop while the other group hangs back until it's clear for them to move in."

Miles nods slowly. "That could work."

"Yeah, but as soon as I get close to the ice cream shop, the nano will sense my presence and change targets. Plus, the two of you can only keep the zombies busy for so long." Rachel says.

"What if I go into the ice cream shop?" Charlie asks.

"What is that going to help? You..." Rachel stares at her for a moment, her eyes unfocused as understanding dawns on her. "Your capsule would keep them from noticing you're there. You might be able to slip in undetected."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. We can't just send Charlie into the zombie death trap by herself." Miles protests.

"I'm the only one that they won't notice. I can get in and out without causing any trouble."

"Actually, that's not necessarily true." Rachel shakes her head slowly. "The nano won't notice you, but as soon as you try to upload the virus into their computer, they'll know someone is tampering with their system and they will come after you."

"OK, then you guys need to draw them away first. We need to get the zombies as far from the computers as possible, so there will be enough space between them and me while the virus does whatever it's supposed to do to kill them."

Miles shakes his head. "No. This is crazy. You can't go in there by yourself."

"I'm the one with the capsule, it has to be me."

"No, we can cut it out of you and put it in me, then I'll go into ice cream shop and upload the virus." Miles says this with an air of finality, as if he thinks he gets the final say. Charlie stares at him. Her uncle, possibly her father. He wants to put himself in harms way, remove her from the danger. But Bass said that she has a job to do, a mission to complete, and now it's finally starting to make sense.

"My dad put the capsule in _me_. Danny said that _I_ have to help Mom destroy the nano. It has to be me, Miles."

"No, I won't let you!"

"I'm not asking for your permission." Charlie says softly.

Miles opens his mouth to argue again, but Rachel cuts him off. "We can't force her to give up the capsule and it would take too long for me to reprogram my own, so we have to let her do it."

"She could die." He whispers through gritted teeth.

"I won't let that happen."

"You can't guarantee-"

"-I will not let that happen!" Rachel shouts over him.

Miles glares at her, his eyes burning with something more than just anger. For a moment, Charlie can see the terrifying General he's left behind. "You better hope not," he growls. The door to the safe house slams behind him, leaving Charlie alone with her mother.

"He's right, you know. Even with the capsule, the zombies will be able to see you if you're standing right in front of them." Rachel tells her.

"Well, then I guess you guys will have to come up with a good distraction." Charlie leaves the door hanging wide open on her way out, the image of her mother's worried face firmly imprinted in her mind.

Bass falls into step with her as she walks away from the building. His mouth is set in a grim line, his normally twinkling, blue eyes a dull gray. "I know what you're thinking," he says softly.

"Oh yeah, what's that?" Charlie asks, avoiding his eyes.

"You think that this suicide mission _is_ the mission." He grips her shoulder and turns her around to face him. "Listen to me, Charlie, you do not need to die. The nano can be defeated without you sacrificing yourself."

"No one is sacrificing anything. Miles and Mom can handle the zombies, all I have to do is plug a little thingamajig into a computer."

"You know it won't be that easy."

Charlie sighs and shrugs. "I'm a Matheson, nothing we do is ever easy."

Smiling against his will, Bass embraces her tightly. "Promise me that you'll try. Promise me you won't just let yourself be killed."

"I might not have a choice-"

"-Promise me." He whispers next to her ear.

Charlie nods into his neck. "OK. I promise."

* * *

Charlie and Meadow sit side by side while Shore teaches Forrest how to weave daisies into their hair. The younger boy seems to have a harder time with it than his big brother and keeps accidentally pulling Charlie's hair.

"Sorry, Mommy." He mutters as another daisy that's supposed to be in her hair falls in her lap.

Picking up the flower, Charlie turns to look at her youngest son. "It's alright, sweetie. I think you're doing a great job."

The little boy's smile lights up his whole face as he sets to work again weaving the flowers through her hair. Meadow prances over to the pond to admire her reflection and the work that Shore has done while he moves over to work side by side with his brother.

"Look at me Mommy, I'm pretty!" She squeals.

"Of course you are, you're pretty just like Daddy."

Meadow giggles. "Daddy's not _pretty_ , he's _handsome!_ "

Charlie tilts her chin up in the air and says, "well, I think he's pretty."

"Good to know." Bass plops down on the grass next to her with a smirk. "It's always nice to be appreciated."

Her witty comeback is drown out by Meadow throwing herself into Bass' arms. "Do you like my hair, Daddy?"

Kissing both of her chubby cheeks, Bass whispers, "it's beautiful. Just like Mommy's." Their eyes meet as Meadow settles herself in her father's lap, the warmth and love between them surrounding their entire family. Years of hurt and hardship mean nothing here. Those things are mere memories. But this, _this_ is what life is all about. And despite her promise to do everything she can to stay alive, Charlie can't help but think that this would be a beautiful place to be dead.

* * *

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Aaron asks nervously.

Charlie shakes her head. "I doubt it."

He nods. The understanding that this situation isn't ideal, but that it is necessary, is evident on his face. He wraps her in a tight hug, holding her close against his chest. "Be careful, kiddo," he whispers.

Blinking back tears, Charlie nods into his neck. This man has been her teacher, her family, and her friend for as long as she can remember. Dad, Maggie, and Danny have all been gone for a long time, but Aaron has stuck with her from the very beginning. The idea that she might never see him again is a little overwhelming.

"Take care of yourself, Aaron." She mumbles.

"Hey." He pushes her back a little roughly, shaking her shoulders to make sure he has her attention. "Don't do that. You'll be fine. I'll see you later. OK?" Charlie nods in agreement, but judging by the sheen of tears in his eyes when he walks away, Aaron isn't buying it either.

Priscilla gives her a quick hug before running off to comfort her husband, but Gene seems to want to take his time. He holds Charlie close for several minutes, petting her hair and telling her how proud he is. Apparently, no one told him that this isn't supposed to be goodbye.

All she gets from Rachel is a terse nod and the flash drive with the virus on it. "Plug it in just like I showed you earlier, then wait for the download to hit 100 percent."

"Got it."

As Rachel climbs up into the wagon with the others, Miles slouches in front of her. "Wait until you hear the explosions before you start moving in."

"I know, Miles."

"And stay out of sight-"

"-I know."

"If it starts to look bad, you just get the hell out-"

"-Miles. I know."

He sucks in a heavy breath through his nose and nods before caving and letting himself embrace her. Charlie burries her face in his chest, taking in the smell of stale blood and whiskey for what will likely be the last time.

"Don't you dare die on me, kid." He finally says.

His shirt soaks up the few fat tears that she lets fall. "I'll do my best."

His arms tighten around her for just a second before he lets go. There's a moment where Charlie longs to tell him about Bass. About how she's been imagining him for months, how she's fallen in love with him, and about their three beautiful children. She almost does it, but ultimately decides not too. If this is to be the last time they see each other, she doesn't want that memory hanging over it. So she settles herself by kissing his cheek, ignoring the salty tears there, and turning firmly on her heel back towards the safe house. It will be several hours before it's time for her to make her move and she doesn't want to spend it crying.

* * *

Since the nano is oblivious to both she and Bass, they have managed to sneak their way into the city without being spotted. They are hiding out in an abandoned building a block away from the ice cream shop while they wait for Miles and Rachel to cause their distraction. Charlie goes over the plan in her head over and over again, mapping out the underground facility in her mind from the sketches her mother had made. Luckily, this facility isn't nearly as big a the Tower had been. According to Rachel, the government had been counting on it being too well hidden for anyone to try and break in. Of course, they probably never considered that their favorite pet scientist would be working against them.

Bass drags his fingertips gently up and down her arm, unintentionally tracing the jagged cut over the capsule in her arm. "Are you worried?" He asks softly.

Afraid of alerting any zombies that might be nearby, Charlie merely nods in response.

"Me too."

The silence drags on well after sunset, Charlie's patience disappearing with the sun. She's about ready to think that something has gone wrong on Miles' end when explosions start echoing through the air and the ground starts to shake.

"That's our cue," Bass says as he gets to his feet.

Charlie follows slowly. Emotions are running rampant as she follows him to a side door that leads outside, but she pushes them down and shoves them into a tiny little box that she hides away in the back of her mind. There's too much at stake right now, she can't afford to fall apart.

Bass walks right out into the alley without a care as a zombie strolls past. It takes no notice of him, since he technically doesn't exist, and Charlie waits while he moves closer to the road. He lets her know it's safe to move with a wave of his hand and she follows him out into the street. Just a few minutes ago this street had been crawling with zombies, but now it's deserted except for a few stragglers. They're slow moving and clearly not very bright since Charlie's able to fool them by throwing a rock to the other side of the street. The few remaining zombies look curiously in the direction of the sound the rock makes when it hits the pavement and then amble off to check it out, leaving the front door of the ice cream shop completely abandoned.

Bass runs over and peeks inside, waving her into the building after he's checked that no one is inside. Slipping quietly through the door, Charlie pulls out her crossbow and loads an arrow. They're too close now to turn back and there's no way she's going down without a fight.

They maneuver through the run down dining room of the old shop, passing booths with red vinyl seats and brightly colored menus with pictures of what Charlie remembers to be ice cream. They hop over the bar style counter and move through the swinging door into the kitchen. They stand silently to listen for enemies, but the only thing they can hear is their own breathing.

Charlie pictures the map Rachel had drawn for her in her mind. _Stoves and counters to my left, and a big sink on my right._ Sure enough, the wide, deep sink is right where her mother said it would be. She moves past the sink and rounds a corner, stopping in front of a large metal door. Raising her crossbow, Charlie yanks the heavy door open, revealing nothing but a cold, empty room.

"I can't believe the government hid a top secret, super scary lair in a fucking refrigerator." Bass grumbles.

Charlie suppresses a laugh and moves to the back of the walk-in refrigerator towards the metal panel on her left. She runs her hand up and down it looking for a small indentation that's supposed to be about four feet from the ground. When her index finger dips into a small crack, the metal panel slides away to reveal a keypad with numbers on it.

 _OK, 741776, then hit the little star button._

As soon as she's pushed the star button on the keypad, the door to the refrigerator slams shut and they are plunged into darkness, but only for a moment. Soft blue lights appear above their heads as the the entire room begins to shake. It's disorienting at first, but Charlie quickly realizes that the refrigerator is descending down into the nano's facility.

"Wow, it's been a while since I was in an elevator," Bass says conversationally.

Rolling her eyes, Charlie gets a grip on her crossbow and pats her back pocket to make sure the tiny flash drive is still there. "We need to pick up the pace," she says quietly. "Miles and Mom can only keep the zombies busy for so long."

The amusement from the elevator ride fades from his face. "Alright, stay back by the wall while I check the hallway."

For once she doesn't argue. The refrigerator comes to a jerky stop and the back wall slides away, revealing a long, white hallway that's covered in dust that has barely been disturbed by a few footprints. It's about thirty yards from the elevator to the end of the hallway. There are no doors on either side, nor any zombies in sight. Regardless, Bass motions for her to stay put while he runs to the end of the hall to check for enemies. He waves her along after a few seconds, but when she catches up with him there's a frown on his face. She arches a single eyebrow questioningly, careful not to make any noise the zombies might hear.

"Why do I feel like this is too easy?" He whispers, even though no one can hear him.

Charlie shrugs.

"Just stay close. I don't like this."

She's tempted to point out that there isn't much he can do since he can't interact with anyone but her, but she figures he's just being protective so she lets it go. As per Rachel's map, they make a left down the hallway and stop at the middle door on the right hand side. Charlie twists the handle slowly and opens it about an inch so Bass can peer through the gap.

"I don't see anything."

She pushes the door open further and lets him slide through first, closing it silently once they're both inside. The room is stark white like the hallway, illuminated by the same soft blue lights from the elevator. The only things in the room are a white desk and a large metal door with a tiny glass window in it. There's a dusty computer and a picture frame on the desk. The picture is of a woman in her mid twenties clutching a little boy and kissing his cheek. Her heart pangs as she thinks of her own sons and wonders if the boy in the picture is still alive. Is he still in Idaho? Is he a zombie? Is he working with the nano? The Patriots?

Shaking those questions from her mind, Charlie taps the long rectangular key on the keyboard just like Rachel told her to. The computer screen comes to life, making her squint against the sudden brightness. There's a box on the screen with the word 'password' written across the top. She carefully inputs the code Rachel made her memorize.

 _BLACKLIGHT2012_

The metal door behind the desk gives a loud click, making Charlie and Bass smile at each other triumphantly. They're so close now. Just a few more steps. Her hand is on the door handle when they hear it, the slow, rhythmic thump of booted feet on the white linoleum floor.

"Inside. Now." Bass growls.

Charlie rips the metal door open and he shoves her into the dark room. She has the sense to pull the door shut just in time for the office's outer door to swing open. She sucks in a deep breath and holds it, afraid that the zombie might hear her breathe, or worse, hear her heart pounding in her chest. Bass watches the zombie through the tiny glass window in the door.

"He's just checking it out," he says with relief. Another moment passes with Charlie's breath still held before Bass finally nods. "OK, he's gone."

She lets the breath out slowly, reveling in the feel of cool oxygen in her lungs. But she only gives herself a second to enjoy it. "Come on, we gotta move."

This room is what Rachel called 'the server room.' It's about the size of a small living room, but instead of couches and comfy chairs, there are machines lined along the walls, quietly whirring with electricity. Charlie moves to the far wall and starts inspecting the one connected to a large computer screen in search of the small, rectangular hole the flash drive is supposed to go in.

"Babe, up here." Bass points closer to the top of the machine and Charlie nods.

 _This is it,_ she thinks.

Pulling the flash drive from her back pocket, Charlie reaches up to connect it to the computer.

"Wait a second." Charlie stops to look at Bass. He's looking at her with those sad eyes again. "Are you sure about this? You heard your mom, as soon as you plug that thing in, the zombies are all gonna come running to stop you."

A small smile spreads across her lips. "I know," she whispers. "But if it means the world will be safe from the nano's crazy shit, won't it be worth it?"

"Worth your life? I don't think so."

"What kind of life is this?" Charlie says as she blinks back sudden tears. "The man I love is dead and our children are stuck living in a world where they can never truly exist. I don't want to spend the rest of my life living through my dreams, I want to _live_ my dream. I want to be with you and our family, no matter where that is."

She brushes away a few tears while Bass just shakes his head in amazement. "You really are the bravest woman I've ever met." He kisses her softly on the lips. "You have to make sure the download reaches 100 percent, though."

"I know."

He kisses her again. "Are you ready to die, Charlie?"

She pulls his forehead down to hers and looks into his deep blue eyes, taking strength from his faith in her. "Absolutely."

The flash drive slides into the hole with an anticlimactic click. At first, nothing happens, but then the large computer screen lights up and a box appears.

 _DOWNLOAD_

 _0 %_

"Here we go." With one last kiss, Charlie crosses the room back to the metal door and watches through the glass window with baited breath. Any second now, zombies will come storming in to kill her.

Bass gives her shoulder a gentle squeeze and murmers, "you can do this." She peeks back at the computer screen.

 _DOWNLOAD_

 _19%_

 _Good._ She thinks. _Maybe this won't take too long._

It happens so quickly that she doesn't even have time to think. The years of fighting take over as the metal door buckles against her. Charlie looks through the glass window and sees a very angry looking man attempting to get into the room. She braces herself against the door in preparation for the next attempt, her heart hammering as the door shakes with the force the zombie is putting against it.

"Shit, there's more." Bass braces himself against the door as well, but they both know it's really just for show. At this point, the only help he can offer is moral support.

The door cracks eerily beneath the next push from the zombies and Charlie has to stop and take a deep breath to remind herself that this is the plan. This is what she wanted. She looks back at the screen.

 _DOWNLOAD_

 _32%_

Through the window, she can see the zombies backing up as they prepare to throw themselves against the door again. She waits until they've got all of their weight thrown into it before jumping back away from the door. It crashes open with a loud bang, sending six or seven zombies sprawling on the floor. They don't even have time to get up before five more come stomping over their bodies to get into the room.

There's no time for her crossbow here, only her gun will do. The first zombie goes down ten feet away from her, the second goes down seven feet away. The third is almost withing touching distance when her bullet rips through his head and his brains splatter all over the guy behind him. But they're coming too quickly. There's too may of them.

Charlie scrambles back away from the mob of zombies, shooting four more as she goes. Her back hits the screen as Bass shouts, "58 percent! You're almost there!"

That's when she feels something cold slice into her side. One of the zombies she'd just shot is up on his knees with a long, sharp knife in his hand. A guttural scream tears through her throat. No matter how determined or how ready she is to die, getting stabbed is no laughing matter. Her own knife sinks into the zombies temple with a sickening crunch as more and more of them come piling on.

Kicking and punching, biting and scratching. It's all a bloody blur. At one point, Charlie's pretty sure she feels the gooey, sponginess of someone's brain. She pushes and shoves the fallen bodies away from her, causing something like a barrier to build up in front of her.

"83 percent, just hang in there!"

The sound of Bass' voice distracts her for a moment, just long enough for one of the zombies to catch her across the face with his knife. Blood sprouts from her forehead, blurring her vision with nothing but red. Her heart is pounding in her ears, her lungs are on fire, and everything hurts. All she wants is for this finish, so this can be over, and she can go home.

Her fingers go through something squishy and she gags at the slimy feel of someone's eyeball in her hand. She tastes blood in her mouth, unsure of whether or not it's her own. The gagging won't stop. Her knife is gone, lost in someone's throat. Bass' voice has faded away. Her body feels numb. Numb with shock, numb with cold, numb with death...

* * *

The familiar squawking of seagulls fills her ears. The tang of the salty sea air assaults her tongue. Charlie takes several deep breaths as she tries to forget the feeling of cold, cruel death. The sun is beating down, warm and friendly on her face, until a shadow blocks it from reaching her.

Opening her eyes slowly, Charlie looks up into the bright blue eyes of her daughter. "Hi, Mommy."

A sound between a laugh and a cry escapes her lips. "Hey, baby."

"Grandpa says you need to hurry up. He says you're taking too long."

Charlie sits up quickly. "Grandpa? He's here?"

Meadow nods knowingly and points at something over her shoulder. Charlie turns to see something she never could have dreamt up. Her father is standing at the top of the hill with one arm wrapped around Maggie and the other holding Forrest. Next to Maggie is Danny and then to her surprise, Nora and Jason. Last in line is Bass. He's got an arm around Shore's shoulders like this is the most normal thing in the world. Charlie doesn't bother trying to stop the tears streaming down her face.

"Don't cry Mommy," Meadow says gently. "It'll be alright, now. You're home."

* * *

A/N The end! Thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing this story. It really means a lot. I hope you enjoyed it! :-D


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